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MUCH  OF  THE  I.Nl- ORMATIO.V  CONTAINED  IN  THE  CITY 
OF  GOD  CAME  TO  MARY  OF  AGREDA  DIRECTLY  FROM  THE 
QUEEN  OF  HEAVEN,  SOME  OF  IT  FROM  THE  HOLY  ANGELS. 
AND  PART  OF  IT  IMMEDIATELY  FROM  GOD.  ALL  OF  IT 
PARTAKES  OF  THAT  INTELLECTUAL  AND  ABSTRACTIVE 
CHARACTER,  WHICH  ABSOLUTELY  EXCLUDES  IMAGINARY 
AND   VISIONARY   ILLUSIONS. 


MYSTICAL 


lCity  of  God 

THE  MIRACLE  OF   HIS  OMNIPOTENCE 

AND  THE  ABYSS  OF  HIS  GRACE 

THE  DIVINE  HISTORY  AND  LIFE  OF  THE  VIRGIN 

MOTHER  OF  GOD 


OUR  QUEEN  AND  OUR  LADY,  MOST  HOLY  MARY 

EXPIATRIX    OF    THE    FAULT    OF    EVE  /    n   1 

AND  MEDIATRIX  OF  GRACE  CV^c>(J 

Manifested  In  these  later  ages  by  that  Lady  to  her  handmaid 

SISTER   MARY  OF  JESUS 


Superioress  of  the  convent  of  the  Immaculate   Conception  of  the  town 

of  Agreda,  of  the  province  of  Burgos  in  Spain,  under 

obedience  to  the  regular  observance 

of  the  seraphic  father 

SAINT   FRANCIS 


For  new  enlightenment  of  the  world,  for  rejoicing 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  encouragement  of  men. 


Translation  from  the  Original  Authorised  Spanish  Edition 

BY 

FISCAR    MARISON 

Begun  on  the  Feast  of  the  Assumption 
1902 


CONTENTS 


BOOK  ONE 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE  MOST  HIGH  BEGINS  TO  PREPARE  IN  MOST  HOLY  MARY  THE 
MYSTERY  OF  THE  INCARNATION;  THE  EVENTS  OF  THE  NINE 
DAYS  PRECEDING  THIS  MYSTERY,  ESPECIALLY  THE  HAPPENINGS 
OF  THE  FIRST  DAY 23 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  LORD  ON  THE  SECOND  DAY  CONTINUES  HIS  FAVORS  IN  PREPA- 
RATION FOR  THE  INCARNATION  OF  THE  WORD  IN  THE  MOST 
HOLY   MARY 33 


CHAPTER  III. 

WHAT   FAVORS    THE    MOST    HIGH    CONFERRED   ON    MOST   HOLY    MARY 

ON  THE  THIRD  DAY  OF  THE  NOVENA   BEFORE  THE  INCARNATION     40 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  MOST  HIGH  CONTINUES  HIS  FAVORS  TO  MOST  HOLY  MARY  ON 

THE  FOURTH  DAY 47 

CHAPTER  V. 

HIS  MAJESTY  MANIFESTS  NEW  MYSTERIES  AND  SACRAMENTS  TO- 
GETHER WITH  THE  WORKS  OF  THE  FIFTH  DAY  OF  THE  CREATION 
TO  MOST  HOLY  MARY,  AND  HER  HIGHNESS  CONTINUES  TO  PRAY 
FOR  THE  INCARNATION  OF  THE  WORD 53 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  MOST  HIGH  MANIFESTS  TO  MARY,  OUR  MISTRESS,  ADDITIONAL 
MYSTERIES  AND  SHOWS  HER  THE  WORKS  OF  THE  SIXTH  DAY 
OF    CREATION 61 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  MOST  HIGH  CELEBRATES  A  NEW  ESPOUSAL  WITH  THE  PRINCESS 
OF  HEAVEN  IN  ORDER  TO  INAUGURATE  THE  NUPTIALS  OF  THE 
INCARNATION.      HE  ADORNS  HER  FOR  IT 68 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

OUR  GREAT  QUEEN,  IN  THE  PRESENCE  OF  THE  LORD,  PLEADS  FOR  THE 
HASTENING  OF  THE  INCARNATION  AND  OF  THE  REDEMPTION  OF 
MAN,  AND  HIS  MAJESTY  YIELDS  TO  HER  PRAYER 77 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  MOST  HIGH  RENEWS  ALL  HIS  FAVORS  AND  BENEFITS  IN  THE 
MOST  HOLY  MARY  AND,  AS  THE  ULTIMATE  PREPARATION  FOR 
THE  INCARNATION,  MAKES  HER  SOVEREIGN  AND  QUEEN  OF  ALL 
THE    UNIVERSE 85 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  BLESSED  TRINITY  SENDS  THE  ARCHANGEL  GABRIEL  AS  A  MES- 
SENGER TO  ANNOUNCE  TO  MOST  HOLY  MARY  THAT  SHE  IS 
CHOSEN  AS  THE  MOTHER  OF  GOD 92 

CHAPTER  XI. 

MARY  LISTENS  TO  THE  MESSAGE  OF  THE  HOLY  ANGEL ;  THE  MYSTERY 
OF  THE  INCARNATION  IS  ENACTED  BY  THE  CONCEPTION  OF  THE 
ETERNAL  WORD  IN  HER  WOMB 100 

CHAPTER  XII. 

OF  THE  FIRST  ACTS  OF  THE  MOST  HOLY  SOUL  OF  CHRIST  OUR  LORD 
IN  THE  FIRST  INSTANT  OF  HIS  CONCEPTION  AND  OF  THE  CORRE- 
SPONDING ACTS  OF  HIS  MOST   PURE   MOTHER 116 

CHAPTER  XIII.   • 

AN  EXPLANATION  OF  THE  STATE  IN  WHICH  MOST  HOLY  MARY 
FOUND  HERSELF  AFTER  THE  INCARNATION  OF  THE  DIVINE  WORD 
IN  HER  VIRGINAL  WOMB 129 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

OF  THE  ATTENTION  AND  CARE  WHICH  THE  MOST  HOLY  MARY 
BESTOWED  UPON  THE  FRUIT  OF  HER  WOMB  AND  SOME 
HAPPENINGS    IN   REGARD  TO   IT 146 


CONTENTS  ix 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MOST  HOLY  MARY  IS  INFORMED  OF  THE  WILL  OF  THE  LORD,  THAT 
SHE  VISIT  HOLY  ELISABETH  ;  SHE  ASKS  SAINT  JOSEPH  FOR 
PERMISSION  TO  GO,  REMAINING  SILENT  ABOUT  ALL  THAT  HAD 
HAPPENED  TO   HER 154 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   JOURNEY   OF  THE    MOST   HOLY    MARY   ON    HER  VISIT  TO    SAINT 

ELISABETH  AND  HER  ENTRANCE  INTO  THE  HOUSE  OF  ZACHARLAS    162 

CHAPTER  XVn. 

THE    SALUTATION   GIVEN    TO    SAINT    ELISABETH    BY    THE    QUEEN    OF 

HEAVEN,  AND  THE  SANCTIFICATION  OF  JOHN 174 

CHAPTER  XVni. 

MOST  HOLY  MARY  ARRANGES  THE  ORDER  OF  HER  DAILY  EXERCISES 
IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  ZACHARIAS ;  SOME  INCIDENTS  IN  HER 
INTERCOURSE   WITH    SAINT   ELISABETH 187 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

OF  SOME  CONVERSATIONS,  WHICH  MOST  HOLY  MARY  HELD  WITH 
HER  ANGELS  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  SAINT  ELISABETH,  AND  OF 
OTHERS,  WHICH   SHE  HELD  WITH   HER  COUSIN 197 

CHAPTER  XX. 

SOME   SPECIAL  FAVORS    WHICH    MOST   HOLY    MARY   CONFERRED   UPON 

SEVERAL  PERSONS  IN   THE  HOUSE  OF  ZACHARIAS 207 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

SAINT  ELISABETH  ASKS  THE  QUEEN  OF  HEAVEN  TO  ASSIST  AT 
HER  CONFINEMENT  AND  IS  ENLIGHTENED  CONCERNING  THE 
BIRTH   OF  JOHN 214 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE   BIRTH    OF   THE    PRECURSOR    OF   CHRIST    AND    WHAT    THE    LADY 

MARY  DID  ON  THIS  OCCASION 221 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  GOOD  COUNCIL  AND  INSTRUCTION,  WHICH  MOST  HOLY  MARY 
GAVE  TO  SAINT  ELISABETH  AT  HER  REQUEST,  SAINT  JOHN  IS 
CIRCUMCISED  AND  RECEIVES   HIS  NAME;  ZACHARIAS  PROPHESIES  230 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

MOST  HOLY   MARY  LEAVES  THE  HOUSE  OF  ZACHARtAS  AND  RETURNS 

TO  HER  HOME  IN  NAZARETH 244 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  JOURNEY  OF  MOST  HOLY  MARY  FROM  THE  HOUSE  OF  ZACHARIAS 

TO  HER  HOME  IN  NAZARETH 251 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  DEMONS  HOLD  A  MEETING  IN  HELL  IN  ORDER  TO  TAKE  COUNSEL 

AGAINST  MOST  HOLY  MARY 258 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  LORD  PREPARES   MOST  HOLY   MARY  TO  MEET  LUCIFER  IN  BATTLE 

AND  THE  DRAGON  BEGINS   TO  PERSECUTE   HER 268 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

LUCIFER  WITH  ALL  HIS  SEVEN  LEGIONS  PERSISTS  IN  TEMPTING 
MOST  HOLY  MARY;  SHE  CONQUERS  THE  DRAGON  AND  CRUSHES 
HIS    HEAD 287 

BOOK  TWO 
CHAPTER  I. 

SAINT  JOSEPH  BECOMES  AWARE  OF  THE  PREGNANCY  OF  HIS  SPOUSE, 
THE  VIRGIN  MARY,  AND  IS  FILLED  WITH  ANXIETY,  AS  HE 
KNOWS  THAT  HE  HAD  NO  PART  IN  IT 301 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  ANXIETIES  OF  SAINT  JOSEPH  INCREASE;  HE  RESOLVES  TO 
LEAVE  HIS  SPOUSE,  AND  HE  BETAKES  HIMSELF  TO  PRAYER  ON 
THIS   ACCOUNT 312 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE  ANGEL  OF  THE  LORD  SPEAKS  TO  SAINT  JOSEPH  IN  HIS  SLEEP 
AND  MAKES  KNOWN  TO  HIM  THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  INCARNA- 
TION— HIS   BEHAVIOR   THEREAFTER 322 

CHAPTER  IV. 

SAIKT  JOSEPH  ASKS  PARDON  OF  THE  MOST  HOLY  MARY,  HIS 
SPOUSE,  AND  THE  HEAVENLY  LADY  CONSOLES  HIM  WITH 
GREAT    PRUDENCE 332 


CONTENTS  xi 


CHAPTER  V. 

SAINT  JOSEPH  RESOLVES  TO  DEVOTE  HIMSELF  ENTIRELY  TO  THE 
SERVICE  OF  MOST  HOLY  MARY  ;  THE  BEHAVIOR  OF  HER  MAJESTY, 
AND  OTHER  PARTICULARS  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  MARY  AND  JOSEPH.  .  .    343 

CHAPTER  VI. 

SOME  OF  THE  SAYINGS  AND  CONVERSATIONS  OF  MOST  HOLY  MARY 
AND  JOSEPH  REGARDING  DIVINE  THINGS;  OTHER  WONDERFUL 
EVENTS     353 

CHAPTER  VH. 

THE  MOST  HOLY  MARY  PREPARES  THE  SWADDLING-CLOTHES  AND 
THE  LINENS  FOR  THE  DIVINE  INFANT  WITH  ARDENT  LONGINGS 
TO  SEE  IT  BORN 363 

CHAPTER  Vni. 

THE  EDICT  OF  CESAR  AUGUSTUS  IS  PUBLISHED,  COMMANDING  ALL 
SUBJECTS  OF  THE  EMPIRE  TO  REGISTRATE ;  AND  WHAT  SAINT 
JOSEPH  DID  WHEN  HE  HEARD  OF  IT 374 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  JOURNEY  OF  MOST  HOLY  MARY  FROM  NAZARETH  TO  BETHLEHEM 
IN  THE  COMPANY  OF  THE  HOLY  SPOUSE  JOSEPH  AND  OF  THE 
HOLY  GUARDIAN  ANGELS 382 

CHAPTER  X. 

CHRIST  OUR  SAVIOR  IS   BORN  OF  THE  VIRGIN    MARY   IN   BETHLEHEM, 

juDA 393 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  HOLY  ANGELS  ANNOUNCE  THE  BIRTH  OF  OUR  LORD  IN  DIF- 
FERENT PARTS  OF  THE  WORLD,  AND  THE  SHEPHERDS  COME 
TO  ADORE  HIM 411 

CHAPTER  XII. 

WHAT  WAS  CONCEALED  FROM  THE  DEMON  CONCERNING  THE  MYSTERY 
OF  THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  INCARNATE  WORD,  AND  OF  OTHER 
HAPPENINGS   UNTIL  THE  CIRCUMCISION 420 


xii  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  MOST  HOLY  MARY  IS  INFORMED  OF  THE  WILL  OF  THE  LORD, 
THAT  HIS  ONLYBEGOTTEN  SON  BE  CIRCUMCISED,  AND  SHE 
CONFERS  ABOUT  IT  WITH  SAINT  JOSEPH  :  THE  MOST  HOLY  NAME 
OF  JESUS  IS  BROUGHT  FROM   HEAVEN 432 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    DIVINE    INFANT    IS     CIRCUMCISED    AND    RECEIVES    THE    NAME 

JESUS 446 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   MOST   HOLY   MARY  REMAINS   IN  THE  PORTAL  OF  THE  NATIVITY 

UNTIL  THE  COMING  OF  THE   MAGI  KINGS 455 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  THREE  KINGS  OF  THE  ORIENT  COME  TO  ADORE  THE  WORD  MADE 

MAN  IN  BETHLEHEM 467 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  MAGI  KINGS  RETURN  ONCE  MORE  TO  SEE  AND  ADORE  THE  INFANT 
JESUS  :  THEY  OFFER  THEIR  GIFTS  ON  TAKING  LEAVE,  AND  RETURN 
BY  A  DIFFERENT  ROUTE  TO  THEIR  HOMES 478 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

MOST  HOLY  MARY  AND  JOSEPH  DISTRIBUTE  THE  GIFTS  RECEIVED 
FROM  THE  MAGi;  AND  THEY  REMAIN  IN  BETHLEHEM  UNTIL 
THEIR  DEPARTURE  FOR  THE  PRESENTATION  OF  THE  INFANT 
JESUS   IN  THE  TEMPLE 485 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

MOST  HOLY  MARY  AND  JOSEPH  DEPART  WITH  THE  INFANT  JESUS, 
IN  ORDER  TO  FULFILL  THE  LAW,  BY  PRESENTING  HIM  IN  THE 
TEMPLE  OF  JERUSALEM 496 

CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    PRESENTATION    OF    THE    INFANT    JESUS    IN    THE    TEMPLE    AND 

WHAT  HAPPENED  ON  THAT  OCCASION 506 


CONTENTS  xiii 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  LORD  PREPARES  THE  MOST  HOLY  MARY  FOR  THE  FLIGHT  INTO 
EGYPT;  THE  ANGEL  SPEAKS  TO  SAINT  JOSEPH;  AND  OTHER 
MATTERS  CONNECTED  THEREWITH 516 

CHAPTER  XXn. 

JESUS,  MARY  AND  JOSEPH  BEGIN  THE  JOURNEY  TO  EGYPT;  ACCOM- 
PANIED BY  THE  ANGELIC  SPIRITS,  THEY  ARRIVE  AT  THE  CITY 
OF    GAZA 529 

CHAPTER  XXni. 

JESUS,  MARY  AND  JOSEPH   PURSUE  THEIR  JOURNEY  FROM  THE  CITY 

OF  GAZA  TO  HELIOPOLIS  IN  EGYPT 539 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  HOLY  TRAVELERS,  JESUS,  MARY  AND  JOSEPH,  ARRIVE  IN  EGYPT, 
AND  AFTER  SOME  WANDERINGS  THEY  COME  TO  HELIOPOLIS, 
WHERE  GREAT  MIRACLES  ARE  WROUGHT 549 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

IN  ACCORDANCE  WITH  THE  DIVINE  WILL,  JESUS,   MARY  AND  JOSEPH 
SETTLE   DOWN   TO    DWELL    NEAR    THE    CITY    OF    HELIOPOLIS    AND 
■  THEY    REGULATE    THEIR    DAILY    LIFE    DURING    THEIR    BANISH- 
MENT        558 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

OF   THE    WONDERS    WHICH    THE    INFANT   JESUS,    MOST   HOLY    MARY 

AND  JOSEPH  WROUGHT  AT   HELIOPOLIS   IN  EGYPT 568 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

HEROD  RESOLVES  TO  MURDER  THE  INNOCENTS:  MOST  HOLY  MARY 
IS  AWARE  OF  THIS.  SAINT  JOHN  IS  CONCEALED  BY  HIS 
RELATIVES    575 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

AT  THE  AGE  OF  ONE  YEAR  THE  INFANT  JESUS  SPEAKS  TO  SAINT 
JOSEPH  AND  REQUESTS  HIS  MOTHER  TO  CLOTHE  HIM  AND 
ALLOW  HIM  TO  WALK.  HE  COMMENCES  TO  CELEBRATE  THE 
DAY  OF  HIS  INCARNATION  AND  OF  HIS  BIRTH 583 


xiv  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  MOST  HOLY  MOTHER  CLOTHES  THE  INFANT  JESUS  IN  THE 
SEAMLESS  tunic;  SHE  PUTS  SHOES  ON  HIS  FEET.  THE  DOINGS 
AND  OBSERVANCES   OF  THE  LORD 591 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

JESUS,  MARY  AND  JOSEPH  RETURN  TO  NAZARETH  AT  THE  COMMAND 

OF  THE   LORD 601 


What  tHe  Universities  of  Europe,  the  Religious 
Orders  and  Learned  Men  Say  of  the 
"Ciudad  de  Dios." 


FORTY  years  after  the  first  appearance  of  the 
"Ciudad  de  Dios"  the  great  universities  of  Europe 
were  called  upon  to  give  their  opinion  about  this 
great  work.  All  the  faculties,  except  the  Jansenistic 
members  of  the  Sorbonne  at  Paris,  published  highest 
recommendations.  At  the  same  time  the  learned  men 
and  teachers  of  each  religious  order  that  maintained 
institutions  of  learning  in  Europe,  were  asked  to  con- 
tribute their  opinions.  The  following  religious  orders 
complied :  The  Augustinians,  Benedictines,  Carmelites, 
Dominicans,  Jesuits,  Cistercians,  Basilians,  Trinitarians, 
Mercedarians,  Minims,  Hieronymites,  Premonstraten- 
sians,  Reformed  Augustinians,  Theatines,  Minors  of  the 
Regular  Clergy,  all  unanimously  endorsing  the  favorable 
decision  previously  published  by  the  University  of  Sala- 
manca. To  the  approbation  of  nearly  all  the  Univer- 
sities and  Religious  Orders,  were  then  added  the  high 
eulogiums  of  other  learned  men,  great  divines,  bishops 
and  princes  of  the  Church  and  of  the  Popes  and  the 
Roman  Congregations.  As  a  sample  of  what  these  wit- 
nesses said  concerning  the  wonderful  "Ciudad  de  Dios," 
we  here  select  the  official  approbation  of  the  University 
of  Louvain,  one  of  the  great  Universities  of  Europe, 

XV 


xvi  TESTIMONIES 

After  pointing  out  that  God's  power  of  giving  private 
revelations  to  whom  He  chooses,  must  not  be  circum- 
scribed, and  after  referring  to  some  general  rules  in 
regard  to  private  revelations,  the  document  proceeds  to 
say: 

"Now,  while  abiding  the  decision  of  the  Church  con- 
cerning the  revelations,  which  are  given  us  under  the 
title  of  The  City  of  God,  we,  having  read  the  whole 
work,  say  and  are  of  the  opinion,  that  the  faithful  can 
read  it  without  danger  to  their  faith  and  without  damage 
to  the  purity  of  morals;  for  there  is  not  found  anything 
within  it,  which  could  lead  to  relaxation  or  to  indiscreet 
rigor;  but  on  the  contrary,  we  have  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  will  be  most  useful  for  enlivening  and  aug- 
menting the  piety  of  the  faithful,  the  veneration  of  the 
most  holy  Virgin,  and  the  respect  for  the  sacred 
mysteries." 

"The  strong  and  the  weak,  the  wise  and  the  ignorant, 
and  in  fine,  all  the  world  will  gather  richest  fruit  from 
the  reading  of  these  books:  for  they  contain  what  is 
most  sublime  in  theology  and  in  a  style  so  simple,  easy 
and  perspicuous  that,  in  order  to  enter  deeply  into  an 
understanding  of  the  holy  mysteries,  no  more  is  necessary 
than  to  read  them  with  sound  judgment." 

"Combined  with  this  simplicity  are  found  many  doc- 
trines and  valid  proofs,  free  from  contradictions  and  not 
easily  found  in  other  writings.  This  History  explains 
more  than  a  thousand  difficulties  in  holy  Scripture,  in 
a  manner  equally  natural  and  wonderful.  At  every  step 
are  encountered  exquisite  interpretations,  until  now  un- 
known, and  which  had  been  hidden  beneath  the  mere 


TESTIMONIES  xvii 

letter,  but  are  laid  open  in  these  writings  and  brought 
to  the  light.  In  short,  the  whole  work  is  a  beautiful 
web  of  scripture  passages  which,  though  spun  from  its 
different  books,  are  directly  and  specially  woven  into  a 
whole  for  the  purpose  intended  by  the  Venerable  Mother." 

"In  addition  thereto  the  instructions  given  by  the  most 
holy  Virgin  at  the  end  of  each  chapter  contain  the  purest 
morality,  instruct,  entertain,  and  at  the  same  time  sweetly 
inculcate  the  love  of  virtue  and  abhorrence  of  vice,  paint- 
ing them  in  the  most  vivid  and  natural  colours.  They 
do  not  only  convince  the  intellect,  but  they  contain  such 
a  special  unction,  that  they  enkindle  a  sacred  ardor  in  the 
soul.  In  meditating  upon  them  one  certainly  will  expe- 
rience a  delight  not  met  with  in  ordinary  writings;  and 
the  more  they  are  read  the  greater  is  the  delight  expe- 
rienced. Finally,  the  whole  work  contains  something  so 
unwonted  and  attractive  that,  once  begun,  the  reading  of 
it  can  scarcely  be  relinquished." 

"The  novelty  and  variety  found  in  these  writings 
delight  and  recreate  the  reader  beyond  all  that  is  pleasant 
in  the  world,  at  the  same  time  instructing  him  and  in- 
spiring him  with  new  fervor.  All  can  easily  persuade 
themselves  that,  if  the  interior  life  of  Christ  our  LxDrd 
and  of  the  most  holy  Virgin  was  not  just  as  described  in 
these  books,  it  could  certainly  have  been  like  it ;  and  that 
it  would  have  been  well  worthy  of  Them,  if  it  was  as  it 
is  there  depicted.  All  that  is  there  said  is  befitting  the 
majesty  and  humility  of  Christ,  and  in  correspondence 
with  the  holiness  of  the  Virgin  and  the  dignity  of  the 
Mother;  since  there  is  found  nothing  in  the  whole  work 
which  was  not  worthy  of  both  one  and  the  other. 

"Notwithstanding  all  this,  we  should  not  at  all  won- 


xviii  TESTIMONIES 

der  if  the  book  met  with  men  who  are  disposed  to  be 
critical ;  for  what  book  is  there  which  can  hope  to  escape 
the  opposition  of  the  people  of  our  times  ?  God  has  not 
even  provided  that  the  sacred  Scriptures  should  be  free 
from  such  attack  among  the  greater  part  of  the  learned 
of  this  world.  The  whole  philosophy  of  the  pagans 
causes  them  to  join  the  number  of  those  who  are  opposed 
to  the  cross  of  Christ  crucified;  and  among  that  number 
are  also  the  libertines  of  our  day." 

"Of  course  there  are  certain  points  in  this  work  which 
might  give  rise  to  apparent  difficulties,  and  some  of  them 
occurred,  and  do  occur,  to  us.  But,  in  accordance  with 
what  we  have  said  of  the  excellence  and  usefulness  of 
this  work,  we  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  these  few 
passages  must  not  hinder  us  from  giving  it  the  com- 
mendation already  given;  besides,  we  must  confess  that 
we  might  possibly  be  ourselves  mistaken  in  making  these 
objections." 

"This  seemed  to  us  the  most  reasonable  course,  since 
in  this  book  there  is  something  more  than  human.  Any- 
thing so  excellent  and  sublime  cannot  be  ascribed  to  an 
over-excited  imagination,  since  the  whole  work  is  con- 
sistent throughout.  Nor  can  it  be  believed  to  be  the 
work  of  a  perverted  mind,  for,  with  a  constant  equa- 
nimity, it  treats  of  the  most  deeply  hidden  and  abstruse 
matters  without  involving  itself  in  any  contradictions; 
though  often  also  it  descends  to  innumerable  minute  and 
particular  circumstances." 

"There  are  contained  in  this  work  such  noble,  such 
devout  circumstantial  and  pertinent  discourses,  as  cannot 
be  the  result  of  mere  discursive  thought.  Nor  can  it  be 
attributed  to  the  demon;  for,  from  beginning  to  end,  it 


TESTIMONIES  xix 

suggests  and  breathes  nothing  but  humility,  patience  and 
endurance  of  hardships." 

"Therefore,  just  as  'Ciudad'  must  without  a  doubt  be 
attributed  to  the  venerable  Mother  of  Agreda,  who  is 
claimed  as  its  author,  so  she  cannot  have  composed  it 
without  particular  help  from  on  high.  Our  conclusive 
opinion  is,  that  the  City  of  Grod,  for  the  good  of  the 
public,  and  for  the  advantages  to  be  derived  therefrom, 
should  be  brought  forth  to  the  light.  This  is  our  judg- 
ment, which  we  submit  entirely  to  the  supreme  decision 
of  the  Holy  See,  to  whom  alone  belongs  the  right  of 
finally  judging  such  writings." 

Louvain,  20th  of  July  1715. 

(Signed)     Hermann  Damen, 

Doctor,  Professor  Ordinary  and 
Regent  of  the  Theological 
Faculty,  Don  of  Saint  Peter, 
President  of  the  College  of 
Arras,   Censor  of   Books,  etc. 

Anton  Parmentier, 

Doctor,  Professor  Ordinary, 
Regent  of  the  Theological 
Faculty,  President  of  the  Great 
College  of  Theologians,  etc. 


APPROBATIONS 

THE  first  Pope  officially  to  take  notice  of  "Ciudad 
de  Dios"  was  Pope  Innocent  XI,  who,  on  July  3, 
1686,  in  response  to  a  series  of  virulent  attacks 
and  machinations  of  some  members  of  the  Sorbonne, 
known  to  be  Jansenists,  issued  a  breve  permitting  the 
publication  and  reading-  of  the  "Ciudad  de  Dios."  Similar 
decrees  were  afterward  issued  by  Popes  Alexander  VIII, 
Clement  IX  and  Benedict  XIII.  These  decrees  were 
followed  by  two  decrees  of  the  Congregation  of  Rites, 
approved  by  Benedict  XIV  and  Clement  XIV,  in  which 
the  authenticity  of  "Ciudad  de  Dios"  as  extant  and  writ- 
ten by  the  Venerable  Servant  of  God,  Mary  of  Jesus,  is 
officially  established.  The  great  pope  Benedict  XIII, 
when  he  was  archbishop  of  Benevent,  used  these  revela- 
tions as  material  for  a  series  of  sermons  on  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  On  Sept.  26,  1713,  the  bishop  of  Ceneda,  Italy, 
objecting  to  the  publication  of  the  "City  of  God,"  was 
peremptorily  ordered  by  the  Holy  Office  to  withdraw  his 
objections  as  interfering  with  the  decree  of  pope 
Innocent  XI  for  the  universal  Church. 

The  process  of  canonization  of  Mary  of  Agreda  was 
promoted  by  the  Spanish  bishops  and  other  eminent  men 
of  the  Church  soon  after  her  death  in  1666.  It  has  re- 
sulted so  far  in  securing  her  the  title  of  Venerabilis,  thus 
clearing  the  way  to  her  beatification,  for  which,  let  us 
hope,  God  will  soon  raise  a  promoter  among  the  many 
pious  and  eminent  men  who  hold  in  esteem  her  writings 

xxi 


xxii  APPROBATIONS 

and  have  learned  of  her  holy  life  and  of  the  miracles 
wrought  at  her  tomb. 

The  Redemptorist  Fathers  published  a  new  German 
translation  in  1885,  which  was  approved  and  highly 
recommended  by  the  Bishop  of  Ratisbon  in  the  follow- 
ing terms : 

"We  take  pleasure  in  giving  our  episcopal  approba- 
tion to  the  annotated  translation  of  the  Spanish  original 
"Ciudad  de  Dios"  of  Mary  of  Jesus  and  recommend  this 
book,  which  will  surely  edify  all  readers  and  be  the  occa- 
sion of  great  spiritual  blessings." 

Ratisbon,  September  29,  1885. 

^Ignatius,  Bishop  of  Ratisbon. 

Notable  is  the  high  recommendation  of  the  Prince- 
Archbishop  of  Salzburg,  Apost.  Legate,  Primate  of  Ger- 
many, etc. 

"According  to  the  decrees  of  Pope  Innocent  XI  and 
Clement  XI  the  book  known  as  'Ciudad  de  Dios'  written 
by  the  Venerable  Servant  of  God,  Maria  de  Jesus,  may 
be  read  by  all  the  faithful." 

"A  number  of  episcopal  approbations,  the  recommen- 
dations of  four  renowned  universities,  namely,  of  Tou- 
louse, Salamanca,  Alcala  and  Louvain,  and  of  prominent 
members  of  different  orders,  coincide  in  extolling  the 
above-named  work.  The  learned  and  pious  Cardinal 
D'Aguirre  says  that  he  considers  all  the  studies  of  fifty 
years  of  his  previous  life  as  of  small  consequence  in  com- 
parison with  the  doctrines  he  found  in  this  book,  which  in 
all  things  are  in  harmony  with  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the 
Holy  Fathers  and  Councils  of  the  Church.  The  Ven- 
erable Superior-General  of  St.  Sulpice,  Abbe  Emery, 
adds:  "Only  since  I  read  the  revelations  of  Mary  of 
Agreda  do  I  properly  know  Jesus  and  his  Holy  Mother." 


APPROBATIONS  xxiii 

"We  therefore  do  not  hesitate — in  granting  our  epis^ 
copal  approbation  to — "Ciudad  de  Dios" — and  wish  to 
recommend  it  to  the  faithful  and  especially  to  our 
clergy." 

iji  Franz  Albert, 

Archbishop. 
Archiepiscopal  Chancery,  Salzburg. 
September  12,  1885. 
A  more  recent  official  approbation  of  "Ciudad  de  Dios" 
is  from  the  Bishop  of  Tarazona,  prefacing  the  new  edi- 
tion of  1911-1912. 

"We,  Dr.  James  Ozoidi  y  Udave,  by  the  grace  of  God 
and  of  the  Apostolic  See,  Bishop  of  Tarazona,  Admin- 
istrator Apostolic  of  the  Diocese  of  Tudela,  etc.,  etc. 

Having  charged  the  priest  Don  Eduardo  Royo, 
chaplain  and  confessor  at  the  convent  of  the  Immacu- 
late Conception  of  Agreda,  carefully  and  exactly  to 
compare  the  manuscript  which  is  to  serve  as  copy  for 
the  printing  of  the  new  edition  of  the  "City  of  God" 
now  about  to  be  published  by  the  religious  of  the  above- 
named  convent,  with  the  authenticated  autograph 
manuscript  of  that  work  there  preserved, — and  hav- 
ing ascertained  by  a  personal  revision  of  a  great  part 
of  the  manuscript  that  the  said  priest  has  diligently 
and  faithfully  fulfilled  this  charge  imposed  upon  him 
by  us: 

We  now  therefore  certify  that  this  present  edition 
of  'Ciudad  de  Dios,'  with  the  exception  of  a  few  mere 
orthographic  modifications,  is  entirely  conformable  to 
the  autograph  of  that  work  as  composed  and  written 
by  the  Venerable  Mother  Mary  of  Jesus  of  Agreda. 

Tarazona,  April  7,  1911. 
[Diocesan  Seal]  iJiJames^  Bishop  of  Tarazona. 


xxiv  APPROBATIONS 

Finally  follows  the  official  approbation  of  the  Right 
Reverend  Bishop  of  the  Fort  Wayne  Diocese,  where  this 
English  translation  is  published. 

Rome  City,  Ind.,  Aug.  24,  1912. 
The  Rev.  George  J.  Blatter, 
Dear  Rev.  Father: — 
My  Imprimatur  is  herewith  granted  to  your  English 
translation  of  the  work  entitled  'Ciudad  de  Dios.'   Will- 
ing you  every  blessing,  I  remain. 

Devotedly  in  Domino, 
iJiH.  J.  Alerding,  Bishop  of  Fort  Wayne. 

The  author  has  made  use  of  capital  letters  in  the  text  slightly  at 
variance  with  common  usage,  in  order  to  avoid  complication  and  se- 
cure greater  clearness.  The  paragraph  numbers  are  those  of  the 
newest  Spanish  edition  of  "Ciudad  de  Dios"  in  1912.  In  the  abridg- 
ment they  vary  slightly. 

City  of  God  is  divided  into  three  Parts  and  eight  Books.  Part  I 
contains  Books  1  and  2.  Part  II  contains  Books  3,  4,  5  and  6.  Part 
III  contains  Books  7  and  8.  As  circumstances  compel  a  serial  publi- 
cation of  the  four  volumes,  the  author  judged  it  best  to  head  these 
divisions  as  follow : 

The  Conception,  Books  1  and  2. 
The  Incarnation,  Books  3  and  4. 
The  Transfixion,  Books  5  and  6. 
The  Coronation,  Books  7  and  8. 


%f)t  Sncarnatton 

€|)e  ^p^tttit^  of  tije  %iit  of  tfte  I^olp  iWotfter 

of  <0oD  from  tf)e  incarnation  of  tf)e  2Dtbtne 

9^orti  in  |)er  birginal  ^om£i  to  tf)e  lUeturn 

of  tfje  i^olp  f amilp  from  €0ppt. 


INTRODUCTION 

1.  When  I  was  ready  to  present  before  the  throne  of 
God  the  insignificant  results  of  my  labors  in  writing  the 
first  part  of  the  most  holy  life  of  Mary,  the  Mother  of 
God,  I  wished  to  subject  it  to  the  scrutiny  and  correction 
of  the  divine  light,  by  which  I  had  been  guided  in  my 
shortcomings.  I  was  very  anxious  to  be  consoled  by  the 
renewed  assurance,  and  benign  approval  of  the  Most 
High,  and  to  know,  whether  He  wished  me  to  continue 
or  to  abandon  this  work,  which  is  so  far  above  my  low- 
liness. The  Lord  responded  saying :  "Thou  hast  written 
well,  and  according  to  our  pleasure;  but  We  desire  thee 
to  understand,  that  in  order  to  manifest  the  mysteries 
and  most  high  sacraments  of  the  rest  of  the  life  of  our 
only  and  chosen  Spouse,  Mother  of  our  Onlybegotten, 
thou  hast  need  of  a  new  and  more  exalted  preparation. 
It  is  our  wish  that  thou  die  to  all  that  is  imperfect  and 
visible,  and  that  thou  live  according  to  the  spirit;  that 
thou  renounce  all  the  occupations  and  habits  of  an  earthly 
creature  and  assume  instead  those  of  an  angel,  striving  to 
attain  in  them  a  still  greater  purity  and  an  entire  con- 
formity with  what  thou  art  to  understand  and  write." 

2.  In  this  answer  of  the  Most  High  I  understood,  that 
such  a  high  perfection  of  life  and  habits  and  such  an 
unwonted  exercise  of  virtues  was  proposed  and  required 
of  me,  that,  full  of  diffidence,  I  became  disturbed  and 
fearful  of  undertaking  a  work  so^  arduous  and  difficult 
for  an  earthly  creature.  I  felt  within  myself  great  re- 
pugnance rising  up  in  the  flesh  against  the  spirit.     The 

3 


4  INTRODUCTION 

spirit  called  me  with  interior  force,  urging  me  to  strive 
after  the  disposition,  which  was  required  of  me,  and 
advancing  as  argument  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  and  the 
benefits  accruing  to  myself.  On  the  other  hand  the  law 
of  sin  (Rom.  7,  23),  which  I  felt  in  my  members, 
opposed  the  divine  promptings  and  discouraged  me  by 
the  fear  of  my  own  inconstancy.  I  felt  a  great  distaste, 
which  deterred  me  and  a  great  pusillanimity  which  filled 
me  with  fear.  In  this  excitement  I  began  to  believe,  that 
I  was  not  capable  of  treating  about  such  high  things, 
especially  as  they  were  so  foreign  to  the  condition  and 
estate  of  a  woman. 

3.  Overcome  by  fears  and  difficulties,  I  resolved  not 
to  continue  this  work,  and  to  use  all  possible  means  to 
adhere  to  this  determination.  The  common  enemy  knew 
my  fear  and  cowardice,  and,  as  his  utmost  cruelty  is 
more  aroused  against  the  weak  and  disheartened,  he  made 
use  of  this  very  disposition  to  attack  me  with  incredible 
fury.  It  seemed  to  him,  that  I  was  left  without  help  in 
his  hands.  In  order  to  conceal  his  malice,  he  sought  to 
transform  himself  into  an  angel  of  light,  pretending  to 
be  very  solicitous  for  my  soul  and  for  my  welfare. 
Under  this  false  pretext  he  perfidiously  deluged  me  with 
his  suggestions  and  doubts;  he  represented  to  me  the 
danger  of  damnation  and  frightened  me  with  punish- 
ments similar  to  those  of  the  chief  of  the  angels 
(Is.  14,  12),  since  I  had  sought  in  my  pride  to  compre- 
hend, what  was  above  my  powers  and  in  opposition  to 
God  himself. 

4.  He  pointed  out  to  me  many  souls,  who,  professing 
virtue,  were  deceived  by  some  secret  presumption  and  by 
yielding  to  the  insinuations  of  the  devil ;  and  he  made  me 
believe,  that  in  so  far  as  I  sought  to  scrutinize  the  secrets 
of  the  divine  Majesty  (Prov.  25,  27),  I  could  not  but  be 


INTRODUCTION  5 

guilty  of  pride  and  presumption,  thus  being-  already 
judged.  He  urged  very  strongly,  that  the  present  times 
were  ill  suited  for  such  matters  and  sought  to  confirm 
his  assertion  by  what  happened  to  some  well  known  per- 
sons, who  were  found  to  labor  under  deceit  and  error. 
He  reminded  me  of  the  dread  of  the  spiritual  life  in 
others;  how  great  would  be  the  discredit,  which  would 
arise  by  any  mistake  of  mine  and  what  evil  effect  it  would 
have  on  those  of  little  piety;  all  this  I  would  know  by 
experience  and  to  my  regret,  if  I  persisted  in  writing- 
about  this  matter.  And  as  it  is  true  evidently,  that  all 
the  opposition  to  the  spiritual  life  and  the  small  esteem 
in  which  the  mystic  virtues  are  held,  is  caused  by  that 
mortal  enemy,  so,  for  the  purpose  of  doing  away  with 
Christian  devotion  and  piety  in  many  souls,  he  succeeds 
in  deceiving  some  and  in  sowing  the  cockle  among  the 
good  seed  of  the  Lord  (Matth.  13,  25).  Thus  he  causes 
confusion  and  obscures  the  true  sentiment  concerning  it, 
making  it  more  difficult  to  distinguish  the  darkness  from 
the  light.  I  am  not  surprised  to  see  him  succeed  therein, 
as  the  true  discernment  is  the  special  work  of  God  and  of 
those,  who  participate  in  his  true  wisdom,  and  do  not 
govern  themselves  only  by  earthly  insight. 

5.  It  is  not  easy  during  this  mortal  life  to  discern  true 
prudence  from  the  false;  for  often  also  the  good  inten- 
tion and  zeal  warp  the  human  judgment,  when  counsel 
and  light  from  on  high  are  wanting.  I  had  occasion  to 
learn  this  in  the  execution  of  that  which  I  am  about  to 
undertake :  for  some  persons,  well  known  as  devout,  not 
only  those  who  loved  me  on  account  of  their  piety  and 
desired  my  welfare,  but  also  those  who  were  less  loving 
and  considerate :  all  alike  at  one  time  wished  to  deter  me 
from  this  undertaking,  and  also  from  the  path,  which  I 
was  going,  as  if  I  was  proceeding  upon  it  by  my  own 


6  INTRODUCTION 

choice.  Their  fear  of  drawing  discredit  or  confusion 
upon  those  who  were  striving  after  piety  with  me,  or 
upon  rehgion  or  my  neighbors,  and  especially  upon  the 
convent  in  which  I  lived,  caused  them  anxiety  and  to  me, 
affliction.  I  was  much  enamoured  by  the  security,  which 
the  ordinary  paths  of  the  other  nuns  seemed  to  offer ;  I 
acknowledge,  that  this  suited  more  my  own  insight  and 
my  inclination  and  desires,  and  was  urged  upon  me  still 
more  by  my  timidity  and  my  great  fears. 

6.  Cast  about  upon  these  impetuous  waves,  my  heart 
sought  to  reach  the  port  of  obedience  in  order  to  re- 
assure me  in  the  bitter  sea  of  my  confusion.  To  add  to 
my  tribulation,  it  began  to  be  rumored  about  in  our 
order,  that  my  spiritual  father  and  superior,  who  had  for 
many  years  directed  my  soul  and  who  well  understood 
my  interior  trials,  who  moreover  had  commanded  me  to 
write  the  preceding  part  of  this  history,  who  would  most 
likely  encourage,  quiet,  and  console  me,  was  suggested 
for  removal  to  a  higher  office.  The  suggestion  was  not 
acted  upon,  but  it  occasioned  his  absence  for  many  days, 
and  the  dragon  took  advantage  of  all  this  in  order  to 
pour  out  against  me  the  furious  river  of  his  wrath 
(Apoc.  13,  15).  Thus,  though  in  vain,  he  exerted  all 
his  malice,  on  this  occasion  and  others,  to  entice  me  from 
obedience  and  deprive  me  of  the  guidance  of  my  superior 
and  master. 

7.  In  addition  to  all  the  contradictions  and  temptations 
already  mentioned,  and  many  others  not  possible  to  de- 
scribe, the  demon  sought  to  deprive  me  of  my  health, 
causing  many  aches,  indispositions  and  disorders  of  the 
whole  body.  He  harassed  me  with  insurmountable  sad- 
ness and  conflicting  thoughts;  he  seemed  to  confuse  my 
understanding,  hinder  correct  thinking,  weaken  my  will 
power,  and  sift  me  in  body  and  soul.    And  it  happened 


INTRODUCTION  7 

that  in  the  midst  of  this  confusion  I  committed  some 
faults,  which  were  serious  enough  in  me,  although  they 
were  committed  not  so  much  in  malice  as  from  human 
fraility.  Nevertheless  the  serpent  sought  to  use  them 
for  my  destruction  more  than  any  other  means ;  for  thus 
having  interrupted  the  flow  of  good  works,  his  fury  was 
let  loose  to  cause  still  greater  faults  in  this  embarrass- 
ment by  inveigling  me  to  exaggerate  my  guilt.  To  this 
he  drove  me  by  impious  and  most  insidious  suggestions, 
seeking  to  persuade  me,  that  all  that  I  had  experienced  in 
the  path  which  I  had  trodden,  was  false  and  erroneous. 
8.  As  these  insinuations,  on  account  of  the  faults  com- 
mitted and  on  account  of  my  continual  consternation  and 
fears,  began  to  appear  plausible,  I  resisted  them  less  than 
others ;  and  it  was  only  through  the  special  mercies  of  the 
Lord,  that  I  did  not  fall  entirely  from  all  belief  and  hope 
in  a  remedy.  But  I  found  myself  so  entangled  in  diffi- 
culties and  surrounded  by  darkness,  that  I  may  say,  the 
groanings  of  death  encompassed  me  and  the  sorrows  of 
hell  engulfed  me  (Ps.  17,  5)  inspiring  me  with  dread  of 
extreme  peril.  I  resolved  to  burn  the  manuscripts  of  the 
first  part  of  this  divine  history  and  to  desist  from  writing 
the  second.  The  angel  of  satan,  who  inspired  me  with 
this  resolution,  induced  me  also  to  withdraw  myself  from 
the  whole  undertaking:  to  put  an  end  to  the  pursuit  of 
the  spiritual  life,  to  neglect  my  interior  life,  and  not  to 
communicate  about  it  with  any  one.  Thus  would  I  be 
able  to  do  penance  for  my  sins,  appease  the  Lord,  pro- 
pitiate Him,  and  retain  his  friendship.  In  order  to  make 
sure  of  the  effects  of  his  concealed  malice  he  proposed, 
that  I  make  a  vow  not  to  write  any  more  on  account  of 
the  danger  of  being  deceived  and  of  deceiving;  but  that 
instead,  I  amend  my  life,  retrench  my  imperfections  and 
embrace  penance. 


8  INTRODUCTION 

9.  With  this  masque  of  seeming  virtue  the  dragon 
pretended  to  establish  his  damnable  counsels  and  cover 
himself  with  the  skin  of  a  sheep,  while  in  reality  he  acted 
as  a  bloodthirsty  and  devouring  wolf.  He  persevered 
for  some  time  in  this  attack  and  all  alone  I  remained  for 
fifteen  days  in  a  night  of  darkness,  without  relief  or  con- 
solation either  human  or  divine :  without  the  former, 
because  I  was  without  the  help  and  the  counsel  of  obedi- 
ence, and  without  the  latter,  because  the  Lord  had  inter- 
rupted the  flow  of  his  favors,  his  enlightenments  and 
continual  inspiration.  Above  all  was  I  distressed  by 
despair  of  salvation  and  in  it,  the  persuasion,  that  death 
and  the  danger  of  my  eternal  damnation  was  approach- 
ing; all  this  was  instigated  and  fostered  in  me  by  the 
enemy. 

10.  But  as  the  aftertastes  of  his  temptations  are  so 
bitter  and  end  but  in  despair,  the  very  disturbance,  by 
which  he  upset  the  whole  republic  of  my  powers  and 
acquired  habits,  made  me  more  wary  of  fulfilling  any- 
thing which  he  urged  on  me  and  proposed  to  me.  He 
availed  himself  of  the  continual  fear,  which  tormented 
me  with  the  dread  of  offending  God  and  of  losing  his 
friendship  and  when,  in  my  doubts,  I  applied  myself  to 
works  of  piety,  he  sought  to  draw  me  away.  This  very 
fear  however  made  me  hesitate  at  what  the  astute  dragon 
had  tried  to  convince  me  of  and  in  this  uncertainty  I 
deferred  giving  assent  to  it.  My  high  regard  for  obedi- 
ence also,  by  which  I  had  been  ordered  to  write,  and  the 
contrariness  of  that  which  I  felt  in  my  interior,  helped 
me  to  resist  and  to  recoil  at  his  suggestions.  Above  all 
the  assistance  of  the  Most  High  defended  me  and 
permitted  not  the  beasts  to  snatch  my  soul,  which  amid 
sighs  and  groans  confessed  Him.  I  cannot  describe  in 
words  the  temptations,  combats,  troubles,  dismays  and 


INTRODUCTION  9 

afflictions,  which  I  suffered  in  this  battle:  for  I  saw 
myself  placed  in  such  a  state,  that  in  my  judgment  there 
was  really  no  greater  difference  between  my  condition 
and  that  of  the  damned,  except  that  in  hell  there  is  no  re- 
demption, while  in  mine  it  was  still  possible. 

11.  One  day,  in  order  to  get  some  respite,  I  cried  out 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  saying:  "O  woe  is  me,  that 
I  have  come  to  such  a  state !  and  woe  to  my  soul,  which 
finds  itself  therein!  Whither  shall  I  turn,  since  all  the 
portals  of  my  salvation  are  closed?"  Immediately  a 
strong  and  sweet  voice  gave  answer  within  myself: 
"Whither  dost  thou  wish  to  go  outside  of  God  himself?" 
By  this  answer  I  perceived  that  my  cure  was  at  hand  in 
the  Lord,  and  at  the  breaking  of  this  dawn  I  began  to 
raise  myself  from  the  depth  of  the  confusion,  into  which 
I  was  cast,  and  I  felt  a  powerful  increase  in  the  fervor  of 
my  desires  and  in  the  acts  of  faith,  hope  and  charity.  I 
debased  myself  in  the  presence  of  the  Most  High  and,  in 
firm  confidence  in  his  goodness,  I  wept  over  my  faults 
with  bitter  sorrow.  I  confessed  them  many  times  and 
sighing  from  the  depth  of  heart,  I  began  to  seek  again  the 
former  light  and  truth.  And  as  the  divine  Wisdom 
comes  forth  to  meet  those  by  whom  it  is  invoked 
(Wis.  6,  17),  it  advanced  toward  me  in  delight  and 
cleared  away  the  night  of  my  confusion  and  tormenting 
afflictions. 

12.  Presently  that  bright  day  broke,  which  I  had  de- 
sired so  much ;  the  quiet  possession  of  peace  returned ; 
I  enjoyed  the  sweet  love  and  vision  of  my  Lord  and 
Master,  and  with  it  I  again  perceived,  why  I  should 
believe,  accept  and  esteem  the  benefits  and  favors,  which 
his  mighty  arm  wrought  in  me.  I  gave  Him  thanks  as 
far  as  was  in  my  power ;  and  I  saw,  who  I  was  and  who 
God  is ;  that  a  creature  by  itself  can  do  nothing,  that  it 


10  INTRODUCTION 

is  nothing,  because  sin  is  nothing.  I  saw  also  what  man 
can  do  when  raised  up  and  assisted  up  by  the  divine  right 
hand,  being  much  more  than  can  be  imagined  by  our 
earthly  faculites.  Humbled  in  the  perception  of  these 
truths  and  in  the  presence  of  the  inaccessible  light, 
(which  is  vast  and  strong,  without  deceit  or  falsehood), 
my  heart  flowed  over  in  sweet  affections  of  love,  praise 
and  thanksgiving.  For  now  I  understood,  that  He  had 
guarded  and  defended  me,  so  that  in  the  confused  night 
of  temptations  my  lamp  might  not  be  extinguished 
(Prov.  31,  18)  ;  and  in  the  depth  of  my  gratitude  I 
annihilated  myself  to  the  dust  and  humiliated  myself 
as  a  worm  of  the  earth. 

13.  To  make  this  benefit  more  certain,  I  immediately 
heard  an  interior  exhortation,  without  knowing  clearly 
from  whence  it  proceeded ;  while  it  severely  reprehended 
me  for  my  disloyalty  and  my  wrongful  ways,  it  at  the 
same  time  admonished  and  enlightened,  instructed  and 
corrected  me.  It  furnished  me  with  a  deep  understand- 
ing of  good  and  evil,  of  virtue  and  vice,  of  what  was 
secure,  useful  and  beneficial,  as  well  as  their  contraries; 
it  laid  open  to  me  the  way  of  eternity,  gave  me  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  means  and  of  the  end,  of  the  value  of  life 
everlasting,  and  of  the  miserable  unhappiness  and  the  so 
little  considered  ruin  of  endless  perdition. 

14.  In  the  profound  knowledge  of  these  two  extremes,. 
I  confess  that  I  was  dumbfounded  and  cast  about  be- 
tween the  fear  of  my  dreadful  infirmity  and  the  desire 
of  reaching  the  happiness,  of  which  I  was  unworthy  on 
account  of  my  demerits.  I  was  full  of  the  thought  of 
the  kindness  and  mercy  of  the  Most  High ;  and  the  fear 
of  losing  Him :  I  beheld  the  two  different  ends  awaiting 
the  creatures:  eternal  glory  and  eternal  misery;  and  it 
seemed  a  small  matter  to  me  to  suffer  all  the  pains  and  the 


INTRODUCTION  11 

torments  of  the  world,  of  purgatory  and  hell  itself,  in 
order  to  attain  to  the  one  and  to  avoid  the  other.  And 
although  I  perceived,  that  the  divine  help  is  assured 
to  those  who  seek  to  make  use  of  it,  yet  as  I  also  saw 
by  this  light,  that  life  and  death  are  in  our  hands 
(Eccli.  15,  18),  and  that  our  weakness  or  malice  may 
prevent  the  proper  use  of  grace,  and  that  the  tree  will 
lie  for  all  eternity  as  it  once  has  fallen  (Eccles.  11,  3), 
on  this  account  I  was  overcome  by  the  deepest  sorrow, 
which  penetrated  my  heart. 

15.  This  sorrow  was  increased  by  a  most  severe 
answer  or  inquiry,  which  came  from  the  Lord.  For 
while  I  found  myself  thus  annihilated  in  the  conscious- 
ness of  my  weakness  and  danger  and  by  the  thought  of 
having  offended  his  justice,  so  that  I  dared  not  raise  my 
eyes  toward  Him,  He  met  my  speechless  sorrow  by  the 
advances  of  his  mercy,  saying  to  me  in  answer  to  them : 
"Which  dost  thou  wish,  my  soul?  Which  dost  thou 
seek  ?  Which  of  these  ways  wilt  thou  choose  ?  What  is 
thy  resolve  ?"  This  question  was  an  arrow  to  my  heart : 
for  although  I  knew  for  certain,  that  the  Lord  knew  my 
desires  better  than  I  myself,  the  delay  between  the  ques- 
tion and  the  answer  was  incredibly  painful  to  me;  I 
wished,  if  possible,  that  the  Lord  should  anticipate  my 
answer  and  should  not  show  Himself  ignorant  of  the 
response,  which  I  would  give.  But,  impelled  by  great 
emotion,  I  made  response  in  words  coming  from  the  in- 
nermost of  soul,  and  said;  "Lord  and  omnipotent  God! 
The  path  of  virtue,  the  way  of  eternal  life  do  I  chose, 
this  do  I  desire,  and  in  this  do  Thou  place  me;  and  as  I 
do  not  merit  it  in  thy  justice,  I  appeal  to  they  mercy,  and 
I  offer  for  myself  the  infinite  merits  of  thy  most  holy 
Son  and  my  Redeemer,  Jesus  Christ." 

16.  I  was  made  aware,  that  this  highest  Judge  re- 


12  INTRODUCTION 

membered  the  promise,  which  is  given  to  the  Church, 
that  He  would  grant  all  that  is  asked  in  the  name  of  his 
Onlybegotten  (John  16,  23),  that  in  Him  and  on  his 
account  my  petition  was  granted  and  its  fulfillment 
hastened  according  to  my  poor  wishes.  Certain  conditions 
were  made  and  proposed  to  me  by  an  intellectual  voice, 
saying  to  me  interiorly:  "Soul,  created  by  the  hand  of 
the  Almighty,  if  thou  wishest,  as  one  of  the  elect,  to 
follow  in  the  path  of  the  true  light  and  attain  the  position 
of  a  most  chaste  spouse  of  the  Lord,  who  calls  thee,  it 
is  befitting,  that  thou  observe  the  laws  and  precepts  of 
love.  The  first  thing  required  of  thee  is,  that  thou  reject 
entirely  all  earthly  inclinations,  renouncing  all  and  every 
affection  toward  the  transient  things,  so  that  thou  have 
no  love  or  affection  toward  any  created  being,  no  matter 
how  useful,  beautiful  or  agreeable  it  may  appear  to  thee. 
Cherish  no  created  image,  harbor  no  earthly  affection; 
let  thy  will  rest  in  no  created  object,  except  in  so  far  as 
thy  Lord  and  Spouse  shall  command  thee  for  the  well- 
ordering  of  thy  love,  or  in  so  far  as  thou  canst  be  aided 
thereby  to  love  Him  alone." 

17.  "And  when,  after  thus  reaching  this  perfect  abne- 
gation and  renunciation  of  thyself,  thou  shalt  have  freed 
and  disentangled  thyself  from  all  earthly  things,  seek 
the  Lord,  raising  thyself  with  the  swift  wings  of  the 
dove  toward  the  high  habitation,  in  which  He,  in  his 
condescension,  wishes  to  place  thy  spirit;  so  that  there 
thou  mayest  live  in  his  presence  and  have  a  secure  dwell- 
ing-place. This  great  Lord  is  a  most  jealous  Spouse  and 
his  love  and  emulation  are  strong  as  death  (Cant.  8,  6). 
He  wishes  to  adorn  thee  and  set  thee  in  a  secure  place, 
in  order  that  thou  mayest  not  issue  from  it,  or  leave  his 
presence  for  another,  where  thou  findst  Him  not  or  en- 
joyest  not  his  caresses.    He,  with  whom^  thou  art  to  con- 


INTRODUCTION  13 

verse  without  mistrust,  wishes  to  sign  thee  with  his  own 
hand,  and  this  is  a  most  equitable  law,  which  the  spouses 
of  the  great  King  must  observe;  for  even  those  in  the 
world  observe  it,  in  order  to  show  their  faithfulness.  It 
is  due  to  the  nobility  of  thy  Spouse,  that  thou  observe 
a  behavior  corresponding  to  the  dignity  and  position 
conferred  by  Him,  wtihout  descending  to  anything  not 
befitting  this  estate  or  making  thee  unworthy  of  the 
adornment  lavished  upon  thee  for  entrance  into  his  bridal 
chamber." 

18.  "Next  I  require  of  thee,  that  thou  despoil  thyself 
with  diligence  of  the  vestments  torn  by  thy  faults  and 
imperfections,  soiled  by  the  effects  of  sin,  and  made 
odious  by  the  inclinations  of  nature.  His  Majesty  wishes 
to  wash  off  the  stains,  to  purify  and  renew  thee  with  his 
beauty,  but  under  condition,  that  thou  never  lose  sight 
of  the  poor  and  despicable  vestments  of  which  thou  hast 
been  divested,  so  that  in  the  memory  and  knowledge  of 
this  benefit,  thou  mayest  spread  the  odor  of  sweetness 
for  this  great  King  by  the  nard  of  thy  humility 
(Cant.  1,  11),  and  so  that  thou  mayest  never  forget  the 
return,  which  thou  owest  to  the  Author  of  thy  salvation. 
Thus  will  He,  by  the  precious  balsam  of  his  blood,  purify 
thee,  heal  thy  wounds  and  enlighten  thee  copiously." 

19.  "In  addition  to  all  this"  (this  voice  continued  to 
say)  "in  order  that  thus  forgetting  all  earthly  things 
thou  mayest  be  coveted  by  the  highest  King,  seek  to 
adorn  thyself  with  the  jewels,  which  He  in  his  pleasure 
has  prepared  for  thee.  The  vestments,  which  shall  cover 
thee,  are  to  be  whiter  than  the  snow,  more  brilliant  than 
the  diamond,  more  resplendent  than  the  sun  and  yet  they 
will  be  at  the  same  time  so  delicate,  that  they  will  easily 
be  spoiled  by  any  negligence,  making  thee  abominable  in 
the  sight  of  thy  Spouse.     But  if  thou  preserve  them  in 

2-3 


14  INTRODUCTION 

the  purity  which  He  desires,  thy  steps  will  be  beautiful 
as  the  Prince's  daughter  (Cant.  7,  1),  and  his  Majesty 
will  be  pleased  with  thy  sentiments  and  thy  words.  As  a 
cincture  of  thy  vestment  He  will  give  thee  the  knowledge 
of  his  divine  power  and  his  holy  fear,  in  order  that,  hav- 
ing bound  thy  inclinations,  thou  mayest  direct  thyself  by 
his  pleasure.  The  jewels  of  thy  necklace,  which  adorn 
thy  neck,  signifying  thy  humble  submission,  shall  be  the 
costly  stones  of  faith,  hope  and  charity.  As  a  clasp  for 
thy  hair  (which  are  the  high  and  exalted  thoughts  and 
thy  heavenly  intelligences),  thou  wilt  have  from  Him  the 
infused  science  and  wisdom,  and  the  embroideries  of  thy 
vestments  shall  be  all  the  beauty  and  richness  of  the  vir- 
tues. Thy  diligence  in  performing  what  is  most  perfect 
shall  serve  thee  as  sandals,  and  they  laces  shall  be  the 
avoidance  and  restraints,  that  thou  wilt  use  in  order  to 
keep  from  evil.  The  rings,  which  will  beautify  thy 
fingers,  shall  be  the  seven  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and 
the  beauty  of  thy  face  shall  be  the  participation  of  the 
Divinity,  which  on  account  of  his  holy  love,  shall  shine 
therefrom.  Thereto  thou  shalt  add  the  coloring  of  con- 
fusion for  having  offended  Him,  in  order  that  it  may 
make  thee  ashamed  of  offending  Him  in  the  future,  com- 
paring at  the  same  time  the  coarse  and  sordid  habits  of 
the  past  with  those  that  now  adorn  thee." 

20.  "And  because  thy  own  merits  would  make  but  a 
poor  and  miserable  return  for  such  a  high  espousal,  the 
Most  High  wishes  to  ratify  this  contract  by  singling  out, 
as  if  for  thee  alone,  the  infinite  merits  of  thy  Spouse 
Jesus  Christ,  and  He  makes  thee  a  partaker  of  all  his 
possessions  and  treasures  in  the  heavens  and  upon  earth. 
For  all  belongs  to  this  supreme  Lord  (Esther  13,  11), 
and  of  all  this  thou  shalt  be  mistress  as  his  spouse  for 
thy  own  use  and  for  the  greater  love  of  Him.     But 


INTRODUCTION  15 

remember,  soul,  that  in  order  to  obtain  such  a  g^ft,  thou 
must  hide  all  this  within  thyself,  without  ever  losing  thy 
secret;  for  I  warn  thee  of  the  danger  of  soiling  thy 
beauty  with  the  least  imperfection;  but  if  at  any  time 
thou  committest  such  an  imperfection  out  of  weakness, 
rise  from  it  at  once,  like  a  strong  one,  and  acknowledg- 
ing it,  weep  over  the  small  fault  as  if  it  had  been  the  most 
grievous." 

21.  "And  in  order  that  thou  mayest  have  a  dwelling- 
place  and  habitation  befitting  such  a  great  estate,  thy 
Spouse  does  not  wish  to  set  thee  any  limit,  but  it  is  his 
pleasure,  that  thou  dwell  in  the  infinite  regions  of  his 
Divinity  and  that  thou  roam  about  and  disport  thyself 
through  the  illimitable  fields  of  his  attributes  and  per- 
fections, where  the  view  of  the  intellect  is  without  re- 
stramt,  where  the  will  is  delighted  withoilt  shadow  of 
misgiving,  and  where  the  inclinations  are  satiated  without 
bitterness.  This  is  the  paradise  always  delightful,  where 
the  most  beloved  brides  of  Christ  find  their  recreation, 
where  they  gather  the  fragrant  flowers  and  myrrh,  and 
where  the  infinite  is  found  for  those  that  have  renounced 
the  imperfect  nothing.  There  will  thy  habitation  be 
secure ;  and  in  order  that  thy  intercourse  and  companion- 
ship may  be  in  correspondence  with  it,  I  desire  that  thou 
converse  with  the  angels,  holding  them  as  friends  and 
companions,  and  copying  from  them,  during  their  fre- 
quent conversations  and  intercourse  with  thee,  their  vir- 
tues by  faithful  imitation." 

22.  "Take  notice"  (continued  the  voice)  "O  soul,  of 
the  greatness  of  this  benefit;  for  the  Mother  of  thy 
Spouse  and  the  Queen  of  heaven  adopts  thee  anew  for  her 
daughter,  receives  thee  as  her  disciple,  and  assumes  the 
place  of  a  Mother  and  of  a  Teacher  toward  thee.  Through 
her  intercession  dost  thou  receive  those  special  favors  and 


16  INTRODUCTION 

they  are  all  granted  to  thee  that  thou  mayest  write  her 
most  holy  life.  On  this  account  thou  hast  been  pardoned 
without  thy  merit,  and  that,  which  otherwise  thou 
wouldst  not  have  reached,  has  been  conceded  to  thee. 
What  would  become  of  thee,  O  soul,  if  it  were  not  for 
the  Mother  of  mercy?  Thou  wouldst  already  have 
perished,  if  her  intercession  had  failed  thee;  poor  and 
useless  would  have  been  thy  works,  if,  by  divine  con- 
descension, thou  hadst  not  been  selected  to  write  this 
history,  but  the  eternal  Father  chose  thee  for  his  daugh- 
ter, in  view  of  this  work,  and  for  a  spouse  of  his  Onlybe- 
gotten  Son;  and  the  Son  received  thee  to  his  close  em- 
braces, and  the  Holy  Spirit  selected  thee  for  his  enlight- 
enments. The  document  of  this  contract  and  espousal  is 
written  and  imprinted  on  the  white  parchment  of  the 
purity  of  mo^t  holy  Mary :  there  the  finger  and  the  power 
of  the  Most  High  have  written  it;  the  ink  is  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb;  the  executor  is  the  eternal  Father;  the  tie 
which  binds  thee  to  Christ  is  the  Holy  Spirit ;  the  bonds- 
men are  the  merits  of  the  same  Jesus  Christ  and  of  his 
Mother ;  for  thou  art  but  a  vile  worm,  having  nothing  to 
offer  and  being  expected  to  give  merely  thy  free  consent." 
23.  So  far  the  admonishing  voice,  which  I  heard.  Al- 
though I  judged  it  to  be  that  of  an  angel,  yet  whether 
such  it  was,  I  could  not  ascertain  clearly,  for  I  did  not 
perceive  it  in  the  same  way  as  at  other  times.  Such  mani- 
festations and  disclosures  accommodate  themselves  to 
the  dispositions  of  the  soul  at  the  time  of  their  reception, 
as  for  instance  it  happened  to  the  disciples  at  Emmaus 
(Luke  24,  16).  Many  other  experiences  I  had  in  order 
to  overcome  the  opposition  of  the  serpent  against  the 
writing  of  this  history,  but  it  would  draw  out  this  intro- 
duction too  much  to  mention  them  now .  I  continued  my 
prayers  for  some  days,  asking  the  Lord  to  govern  and 


INTRODUCTION  17 

direct  me  in  order  not  to  make  a  mistake,  and  represent- 
ing to  Him  my  incapacity  and  timidity.  His  Majesty 
persisted  in  exhorting  me  to  ordain  my  life  toward  all 
purity  and  the  greatest  perfection,  and  in  urging  me  to 
continue  in  it  after  having  begun.  And  especially  the 
Queen  of  the  angels  intimated  to  me  her  will  many  times, 
and  with  great  sweetness  and  tenderness  commanded  me 
to  obey  Her  as  her  daughter  and  write  her  most  holy 
life,  which  I  had  commenced. 

24.  To  all  this  I  wished  to  add  the  security  of  obedi- 
ence. Without  saying  anything  of  that,  which  I  had 
heard  from  the  Lord  and  from  his  most  holy  Mother,  I 
asked  my  confessor  and  superior  what  he  would  direct 
me  to  do  in  this  matter.  He  answered  by  commanding 
me  under  obedience  to  continue  and  to  write  the  second 
part  of  this  history.  Finding  myself  thus  compelled  both 
by  the  Lord  and  by  obedience,  I  returned  again  to  the 
presence  of  the  Most  High,  where  I  found  myself  one 
day  in  prayer,  and,  renouncing  my  whole  self  and  recog- 
nizing my  insignificance  and  liability  to  err,  I  prostrated 
myself  before  his  Majesty  and  said :  "My  Lord,  my  Lord, 
what  wishest  Thou  to  do  with  me?"  Whereupon  I  re- 
ceived the  following  intelligence. 

25.  It  seemed  to  me,  that  the  divine  light  of  the  blessed 
Trinity  showed  me  my  own  self  full  of  poverty  and 
defects,  and  severely  reprehending  me  for  them,  fur- 
nished me  at  the  same  time  with  the  highest  doctrine  and 
salutary  directions  for  a  perfect  life,  and  for  this  purpose 
God  purified  and  enlightened  me  anew.  I  became  aware 
that  the  Mother  of  grace,  most  holy  Mary,  standing 
before  the  throne  of  the  Divinity,  was  interceding  and 
pleading  for  me.  With  such  assistance  my  confidence 
took  new  life  and  profiting  by  the  clemency  of  such  a 
Mother,  I  addressed  myself  to  Her  and  spoke  to  Her  only 


18  INTRODUCTION 

these  words :  "My  Lady  and  my  Refuge,  consider,  as  a 
true  Mother,  the  poverty  of  thy  slave."  It  seemed  to  me 
as  if  She  heard  my  prayer  and  speaking  with  the  Most 
High,  She  said:  "My  Lord,  I  wish  to  receive  this  use- 
less and  poor  creature  anew  as  a  daughter  and  adopt  her 
as  my  own."  (Truly  this  was  the  act  of  a  most  liberal 
and  mighty  Queen!)  But  the  Most  High  answered: 
"My  Spouse,  for  such  a  great  favor  as  this,  what  does 
this  soul  bring  in  return  ?  She  does  not  deserve  it,  being 
a  useless  and  destitute,  worm,  and  thankless  for  our 
gifts." 

26.  O  wonderful  power  of  the  divine  word!  How 
shall  I  describe  the  effects  produced  in  me  by  this  answer 
of  the  Allpowerful?  I  humbled  myself  to  the  depth  of 
my  nothingness  and  I  was  filled  with  the  knowledge  of 
the  misery  of  creatures  and  of  my  own  ingratitude 
toward  God.  My  heart  sank  within  me  in  sorrow  for  my 
sins  and  in  the  desire  of  obtaining  the  unmerited  happi- 
ness of  being  the  child  of  that  Sovereign.  I  raised  my  eyes 
full  of  dread  to  the  throne  of  the  Most  High  and  my 
visage  was  transported  in  fear  and  hope ;  I  turned  toward 
my  Advocate,  and  desiring  to  be  admitted  as  her  slave, 
since  I  did  not  merit  the  title  of  daughter,  I  spoke  from 
the  bottom  of  my  heart  without  forming  any  words ;  and 
I  heard  the  great  Lady  say  to  the  Lord : 

27.  "Divine  Lord  and  my  God,  it  is  true,  this  poor 
creature  has  nothing  to  offer  to  thy  justice,  but  I  offer 
for  her  the  merits  and  the  blood,  which  my  most  holy 
Son  poured  out  for  her  and  with  it  I  present  also  the 
dignity  of  Mother  of  thy  onlybegotten  Son,  which  I  re- 
ceived from  thy  ineffable  kindness,  all  the  works,  which 
I  performed  in  thy  service  in  having  borne  Him  in  my 
womb,  and  nourished  Him  with  the  milk  of  my  breast, 
and  above  all  I  offer  Thee  thy  own  bounty  and  Divinity ; 


INTRODUCTION  19 

I  earnestly  entreat  Thee  to  consider  this  creature  as  my 
adopted  daughter  and  disciple  for  whom  I  will  stand 
security.  Under  my  guidance  She  will  amend  her  faults 
and  perform  her  works  according  to  thy  pleasure." 

28.  The  Most  High,  (may  He  be  eternally  praised  for 
hearing  the  petition  of  the  great  Queen  interceding  for 
the  least  of  his  creatures),  yielded  to  these  prayers,  and 
immediately  in  the  joy  of  my  soul  I  felt  immense  effects, 
such  as  are  impossible  to  describe ;  with  my  whole  heart  I 
turned  toward  all  the  creatures  of  heaven  and  earth,  and, 
not  being  able  to  contain  my  exultation,  I  invited  them  to 
exalt  for  me  and  with  me  the  Author  of  grace.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  I  addressed  them  in  the  following  words :  "O 
ye  inhabitants  and  courtiers  of  heaven  and  all  ye  living 
creatures,  formed  by  the  hand  of  the  Most  High,  behold 
this  marvel  of  his  liberality  and  mercy  and  bless  and 
exalt  Him  for  all  eternity,  since  He  has  raised  from  the 
dust  the  most  vile  of  the  universe  and  has  enriched  the 
most  destitute;  He  has  honored  the  most  unworthy, 
though  He  is  the  highest  God  and  the  powerful  King. 
And  since  you,  sons  of  Adam,  here  see  the  poorest  orphan 
succored,  the  greatest  sinner  pardoned ;  issue  forth  from 
your  ignorance,  raise  yourself  from  your  listlessness  and 
renew  your  hope;  for  if  his  powerful  arm  has  assisted  me, 
if  He  has  called  and  forgiven  me,  all  of  you  can  hope  for 
your  salvation ;  and  if  you  wish  to  assure  yourselves  of 
it,  seek,  seek  the  protection  of  the  most  holy  Mary,  ask 
Her  for  her  intercession,  and  you  will  find  Her  to  be  the 
Mother  of  ineffable  mercy  and  clemency." 

29.  I  turned  also  to  this  most  exalted  Queen  and  said 
to  Her :  "Aye,  O  my  Lady,  now  I  do  not  call  myself  an 
orphan,  since  I  have  a  Mother,  and  a  Mother,  who  is  the 
Queen  of  all  creation ;  I  shall  not  any  more  be  ignorant, 
since  I  have  as  Teacher  the  Mistress  of  divine  wisdom. 


20  INTRODUCTION 

not  poor,  since  I  have  as  Lord  Him,  who  is  Master  of 
all  the  treasures  of  heaven  and  earth;  I  have  a  Mother, 
who  protects  me;  an  Instructress,  who  teaches  and  cor- 
rects me;  a  Mistress,  who  commands  and  governs  me. 
Blessed  art  Thou  amongst  all  women,  wonderful  among 
all  creatures,  admirable  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  and  let 
all  confess  thy  greatness  with  eternal  praises.  Since  it  is 
not  easy  or  possible  for  the  least  among  creatures,  the 
lowest  worm  of  the  earth  to  give  Thee  any  return :  re- 
ceive it  then  from  the  divine  right  hand  and  in  the  divine 
vision,  where  Thou  standest  in  the  presence  of  God  en- 
joying Thyself  through  all  eternity:  I  shall  remain  thy 
acknowledged  and  bounden  slave,  praising  the  Almighty 
as  long  as  my  life  shall  last,  since  his  liberal  mercy  has 
so  favored  me,  as  to  give  me  my  Queen  as  my  Mother 
and  Teacher.  Let  my  loving  muteness  praise  Thee,  since 
my  tongue  has  not  words  or  terms  adequate  for  doing 
it ;  for  all  of  them  are  strained  and  limited." 

30.  It  is  not  possible  to  describe  what  the  soul  feels 
during  such  mysterious  favors.  They  were  the  source 
of  great  good  to  my  soul,  for  immediately  I  was  made 
aware  of  a  perfection  of  life,  and  of  works  for  which  I 
fail  to  find  terms.  But  all  this,  the  Most  High  told  me, 
was  given  to  me  on  account  of  the  most  holy  Mary  and  in 
order  to  write  her  life.  It  was  intimated  to  me,  that  by 
ratifying  this  blessing,  the  eternal  Father  chose  me  to 
manifest  the  sacraments  of  his  Daughter ;  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  poured  out  his  light  and  inspirations  that  1  might 
declare  the  hidden  gifts  of  his  Spouse ;  and  that  the  most 
holy  Son  appointed  me  to  manifest  the  mysteries  of  his 
most  pure  Mother  Mary.  And  in  order  that  I  might  be- 
come capable  of  this  work,  the  Holy  Trinity  enlightened 
and  bathed  my  soul  in  a  special  light  of  the  Divinity  and 
the  divine  power  touched  up  my   faculties   as  with  a 


INTRODUCTION  21 

pencil,  furnishing  them  with  new  habits  for  the  perfect 
execution  of  this  work. 

31.  The  Most  High  also  commanded  me  to  strive  to 
imitate  with  all  my  heart,  according  to  my  weak  powers, 
all  that  I  should  understand  and  write  about  the  heroic 
virtues  and  the  most  holy  operations  of  the  heavenly 
Queen,  guiding  my  life  according  to  her  example. 
Knowing  how  unfit  I  am  for  the  fulfillment  of  this  obli- 
gation, the  same  most  kind  Queen  offered  to  me  anew 
her  favor,  help  and  instruction  for  all  that  the  Lord 
commanded  and  pointed  out  to  me.  Then  I  asked  for 
the  blessing  of  the  most  holy  Trinity  in  order  to  begin 
the  second  part  of  this  heavenly  history.  I  felt  that  all 
three  persons  of  the  Godhead  conferred  their  blessing 
upon  me.  Issuing  from  the  trance,  I  sought  to  wash 
my  soul  in  the  Sacraments  and,  full  of  contrition  for 
my  sins,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  and  of  obedience,  I 
set  myself  about  this  work  for  the  glory  of  the  Most 
High  and  for  his  most  holy  Mother,  the  ever  immaculate 
Virgin  Mary. 

2)2.  This  second  part  comprises  the  life  of  the  Queen 
of  the  angels  from  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation  to 
the  Ascension  of  Christ  our  Lord  into  heaven,  which  is 
the  principal  and  the  most  important  part  of  this  history, 
for  it  includes  the  whole  life  and  mysteries  of  the  Lord 
himself  with  his  Passion  and  most  holy  Death.  I  wish 
only  to  remark  here,  that  the  graces  and  blessings 
conceded  to  most  holy  Mary  in  preparation  for  the 
Incarnation,  began  to  flow  from  the  moment  of  her 
Immaculate  Conception ;  already  at  that  time,  in  the 
intention  and  the  decree  of  God,  She  was  the  Mother  of 
the  Word.  But  in  the  measure  as  the  realization  of  the 
Incarnation  drew  nigh,  the  favors  and  gifts  of  g^ace  con- 
tinued to  increase.     Although  they  seemed  to  be  all  of 


22  INTRODUCTION 

the  same  kind  and  nature  from  the  beginning,  yet  they 
continued  to  augment  and  increase;  and  there  are  not 
terms  new  and  varied  enough  to  equal  in  their  signifi- 
cance these  increases  and  advances  in  the  blessings  con- 
ferred. Thus  it  becomes  necessary  in  this  narrative  to 
measure  all  by  the  infinite  power  of  the  Lord,  who, 
giving  much,  retains  enough  to  give  infinitely  more, 
while  the  capacity  of  each  soul,  and  especially  the  soul 
of  the  Queen  of  heaven,  is  in  its  way  infinite,  being 
able  to  receive  ever  more  and  more.  And  this  happened 
with  the  soul  of  holy  Mary,  until  She  arrived  at  a  summit 
of  holiness  and  participation  of  the  Divinity,  to  which  no 
other  creature  has  attained  nor  will  ever  attain  in  all 
eternity.  May  the  Lord  himself  enlighten  me,  that  I 
may  follow  up  this  work  according  to  his  divine  pleasure. 
Amen. 


BOOK  ONE 

BOOK   III,  I  OF   II   PART 

Contains  the  most  Exquisite  Preparations  of  the  Almighty  for  the  Incar- 
nation of  the  Word  In  Mary  most  Holy;  the  Circumstances  Accom- 
panying this  Mystery;  the  Exalted  State,  In  which  the  Blessed 
Mother  was  placed;  her  Visit  to  Saint  Elisabeth    and  the 
Sanctlficationof  the  Baptist:  Her  Return  to  Nazareth 
and  a  Memorable  Battle  of  the  Virgin  with  Lucifer 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE  MOST  HIGH  BEGINS  TO  PREPARE  IN  MOST  HOLY  MARY 
THE  MYSTERY  OE  THE  INCARNATION  ;  THE  EVENTS  0? 
THE  NINE  DAYS  PRECEDING  THIS  MYSTERY,  ES- 
PECIALLY THE  HAPPENINGS  OF  THE  FIRST  DAY. 

1.  In  order  that  her  most  faultless  life  might  be  to  all 
an  example  of  the  highest  holiness,  the  Most  High  had 
placed  upon  our  Queen  and  Mistress  the  duties  of  a  spouse 
of  saint  Joseph  which  was  a  position  requiring  more  inter- 
course with  her  neighbors.  The  heavenly  Mistress, 
finding  Herself  in  this  new  estate,  was  filled  with  such 
exalted  thoughts  and  sentiments  in  the  fulfillment  of  her 
duties,  and  ordered  all  the  activities  of  her  life  with  such 
wisdom,  that  She  was  an  object  of  admirable  emulation 
to  the  angelic  spirits  and  an  unparalleled  example  for 
men.  Few  knew  Her  and  still  fewer  had  spoken  with 
Her :  but  these  happy  ones  were  so  filled  with  that  celestial 
influence  of  Mary,  that  with  a  wonderful  joy  and  with 
unwonted  flights  of  spirit  they  sought  to  express  and 

23 


24  CITY   OF   GOD 

manifest  the  light,  which  illumined  their  hearts  and 
which  they  knew  came  from  Her.  The  most  prudent 
Queen  was  not  unaware  of  these  operations  of  the  Most 
High;  but  neither  was  it  yet  time,  nor  would  her  most 
profound  humility  as  yet  consent  to  their  becoming 
known  to  the  world.  She  continually  besought  the  Lord 
to  hide  them  from  men,  to  make  all  the  favors  of  his  right 
hand  redound  solely  to  his  praise,  and  to  permit  Her  to 
be  ignored  and  despised  by  all  the  mortals,  in  as  far  as 
his  infinite  goodness  would  not  be  offended  thereby. 

2.  These  prayers  were  accepted  by  her  divine  Spouse 
with  great  benignity  and  his  providence  arranged  all 
things  in  such  a  manner,  that  the  very  light,  which 
incited  men  to  proclaim  her  greatness,  at  the  same  time 
caused  them  to  be  mute.  Moved  by  divine  power,  they 
refrained  from  expressing  their  thoughts,  inwardly  prais- 
ing the  Lord  for  the  light,  which  they  felt  within  them- 
selves. Filled  with  marvel  they  suspended  their  judg- 
ment, and  leaving  behind  the  creatures,  they  sought  their 
Creator.  Many  turned  from  sin  at  the  mere  sight  of 
Her;  others  amended  their  lives;  all  were  affected  at 
seeing  Her  and  experienced  heavenly  influences  in  their 
souls.  But  immediately  they  forgot  the  source  of  these 
influences;  for  if  they  could  have  remained  in  her  pres- 
ence, or  could  have  retained  the  memory  of  her  image, 
and  if  God  had  not  prevented  it  by  a  mystery,  nothing 
would  have  been  able  to  divert  their  attention  from  Her 
and  all  would  have  sought  Her  without  wavering. 

3.  In  such  fruitful  occupations  and  in  augmenting  the 
gifts  and  graces  from  which  all  this  good  proceeded,  our 
Queen,  the  Spouse  of  Joseph,  busied  Herself  during  the 
six  months  and  seventeen  days,  which  intervened  between 
her  espousal  and  the  Incarnation  of  the  Word.  I  cannot 
pretend  to  refer  even  briefly  to  her  great  heroic  acts  of 


THE   INCARNATION  25 

all  the  virtues,  interior  and  exterior,  to  all  her  deeds  of 
charity,  humility,  religion,  and  all  her  works  of  mercy, 
the  alms  and  benefactions ;  for  this  exceeds  the  power  of 
the  pen.  The  best  I  can  do  is  to  sum  up  and  say :  that 
the  Most  High  found  in  most  holy  Mary  the  fulfillment 
of  all  his  pleasure  and  of  his  wishes,  as  far  as  is  possible 
in  the  correspondence  of  a  creature  with  its  Creator.  By 
her  sanctity  and  merits  God  felt  Himself  as  it  were 
obliged,  and,  (according  to  our  way  of  speaking),  com- 
pelled, to  hasten  his  steps  and  extend  the  arms  of  his 
Omnipotence  to  bring  about  the  greatest  of  wonders  con- 
ceivable in  the  world  before  or  after:  namely  the  Incar- 
nation of  the  Onlybegotten  of  the  Father  in  the  virginal 
womb  of  this  Lady. 

4.  In  order  to  proceed  with  a  dignity  befitting  Himself, 
God  prepared  most  holy  Mary  in  a  singular  manner 
during  the  nine  days  immediately  preceding  this  mystery, 
and  allowed  the  river  of  his  Divinity  to  rush  impetuously 
forth  (Psalm  45,  5)  to  inundate  this  City  of  God  with 
its  floods.  He  communicated  such  great  graces  and 
gifts  and  favors,  that  I  am  struck  dumb  by  the  perception 
of  what  has  been  made  known  to  me  concerning  this 
miracle,  and  my  lowliness  is  filled  with  dread  at  even  the 
mention  of  what  I  understood.  For  the  tongue,  the  pen, 
and  all  the  faculties  of  a  creature  fall  far  below  any  pos- 
sibility of  revealing  such  incomprehensible  sacraments. 
Therefore  I  wish  it  to  be  understood,  that  all  I  say  here 
is  only  an  insignificant  shadow  of  the  smallest  part  of 
these  wonders  and  ineffable  prodigies,  which  are  not  at 
all  to  be  encompassed  by  our  limited  words,  but  only  by 
the  power  divine,  which  I  do  not  possess. 

5.  On  the  first  day  of  this  most  blessed  novena  the 
heavenly  Princess  Mary,  after  a  slight  rest,  according  to 
the  example  of  her  father  David  and  according  to  the 


26  CITY   OF   GOD 

diurnal  order  and  arrangement  laid  out  for  Her  by  the 
Lord,  left  her  couch  at  midnight  (Psalm  118,  62),  and, 
prostrate  in  the  presence  of  the  Most  High,  commenced 
her  accustomed  prayer  and  holy  exercises.  The  angels, 
who  attended  upon  Her,  spoke  to  Her  and  said :  "Spouse 
of  our  King  and  Lord,  arise,  for  his  Majesty  calls  Thee." 
She  raised  Herself  with  fervent  affection  and  answered : 
"The  Lord  commands  the  dust  to  raise  itself  from  the 
dust."  And  turning  toward  the  countenance  of  the 
Lord,  who  called  Her,  She  added:  "Most  high  and 
powerful  Master,  what  wishest  Thou  to  do  with  me?" 
At  these  words  her  most  holy  soul  was  raised  in  spirit 
to  a  new  and  higher  habitation,  closer  to  the  same  Lord 
and  more  remote  from  all  earthly  and  passing  things. 

6.  She  felt  at  once,  that  She  was  being  prepared  by 
those  illuminations  and  purifications,  which  at  other  times 
She  had  experienced  in  some  of  the  most  exalted  visions 
of  the  Divinity.  I  do  not  dwell  on  them,  since  I  have 
described  them  in  the  first  part  (Part  I,  620-629).  The 
Divinity  manifested  Itself  not  by  an  intuitive,  but  by  an 
abstractive  vision;  however  so  clearly,  that  by  it  She 
understood  more  of  this  incomprehensible  Object,  than 
what  the  blessed  see  and  enjoy  by  intuition.  For  this 
vision  was  more  exalted  and  more  profound  than  the 
others  of  that  kind ;  since  this  heavenly  Lady  made  Her- 
self more  capable  day  by  day  and,  because  She  made  such 
perfect  use  of  graces,  She  disposed  Herself  for  ever 
greater  ones.  Moreover,  the  repeated  enlightenments 
and  visions  of  the  Divinity  continually  enabled  Her 
to  respond  more  and  more  befittingly  to  its  infinite 
operations. 

7.  In  this  vision  our  Princess  Mary  learned  most  high 
secrets  of  the  Divinity  and  of  its  perfections,  and  espe- 
cially of  God's  communications  ad  extra  in  the  work  of 


the:   incarnation  27 

creation.  She  saw  that  it  originated  in  the  goodness  and 
liberality  of  God,  that  creatures  were  not  necessary  for 
supplementing  his  Divine  existence,  nor  for  his  infinite 
glory,  since  without  them  He  was  glorious  through  the 
interminable  eternities  before  the  creation  of  the  world. 
Many  sacraments  and  secrets  were  manifested  to  our 
Queen,  which  neither  can  nor  should  be  made  known  to 
all;  for  She  alone  was  the  only  One  (Cant.  6,  8;  7,  6), 
the  chosen  One,  selected  by  the  highest  King  and  Lord 
of  creation  for  these  delights.  But  as  her  Highness  in 
this  vision  perceived  this  impulse  and  inclination  of  the 
Divinity  to  communicate  Itself  ad  extra  with  a  force 
greater  than  that  which  makes  all  the  elements  tend 
toward  their  center,  and  as  She  was  drawn  within  the 
sphere  of  this  divine  love,  She  besought  the  eternal 
Father  with  heart  aflame,  that  He  send  his  Onlybegotten 
into  the  world  and  give  salvation  to  men,  since  in  this 
manner  He  should  satisfy,  and,  (speaking  humanly), 
execute  the  promptings  of  his  Divinity  and  its  perfections. 
8.  These  petitions  of  his  Spouse  were  very  sweet  to 
the  Lord,  they  were  the  scarlet  lace,  with  which  She 
bound  and  secured  his  love.  And  in  order  to  put  his 
desires  into  execution  He  sought  first  to  prepare  the 
tabernacle  or  temple,  whither  He  was  to  descend  from 
the  bosom  of  the  eternal  Father.  He  resolved  to  furnish 
his  beloved  and  chosen  Mother  with  a  clear  knowledge 
of  all  his  works  ad  extra,  just  as  his  Omnipotence  had 
made  them.  On  the  first  day  therefore,  and  in  this  same 
vision.  He  manifested  to  Her  all  that  He  had  made  on 
the  first  day  of  the  creation  of  the  world,  as  it  is  recorded 
in  Genesis,  and  She  perceived  all  with  greater  clearness 
and  comprehension,  than  if  She  had  been  an  eye-witness; 
for  She  knew  them  first  as  they  are  in  God,  and  then  as 
they  are  in  themselves. 


28  CITY   OF   GOD 

9.  She  perceived  and  understood,  how  the  Lord  in 
the  beginning  (Gen.  1;  1,  5),  created  heaven  and  earth; 
in  how  far  and  in  what  way  it  was  void,  and  how  the 
darkness  was  over  the  face  of  the  abyss;  how  the  spirit 
of  the  Lord  hovered  over  the  waters  and  how,  at  the 
divine  command,  light  was  made,  and  what  was  its 
nature;  how,  after  the  darkness  was  divided,  it  was 
called  night  and  the  light  day,  and  how  thus  the  first 
day  was  made.  She  knew  the  size  of  the  earth,  its 
longitude,  latitude  and  depth,  its  caverns,  hell,  limbo  and 
purgatory  with  their  inhabitants;  the  countries,  climes, 
the  meridians  and  divisions  of  the  world,  and  all  its 
inhabitants  and  occupants.  With  the  same  clearness  She 
knew  the  inferior  orbs  and  the  empyrean  heaven;  how 
the  angels  were  made  on  the  first  day ;  She  was  informed 
of  their  nature,  conditions,  diversity,  hierarchies,  offices, 
grades  and  virtues.  The  rebellion  of  the  bad  angels  was 
revealed  to  Her,  their  fall  and  the  occasion  and  the  cause 
of  that  fall,  though  the  Lord  always  concealed  from  Her 
that  which  concerned  Herself.  She  understood  the  pun- 
ishment and  the  effects  of  sin  in  the  demons,  beholding 
them  as  they  are  in  themselves ;  and  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  first  day,  the  Lord  showed  to  Her,  how  She  too  was 
formed  of  this  lowly  earthly  material  and  endowed  with 
the  same  nature  as  all  those,  who  return  to  the  dust; 
He  did  not  however  say,  that  She  would  again  return  to 
it;  yet  He  gave  Her  such  a  profound  knowledge  of  the 
earthly  existence,  that  the  great  Queen  humiliated  Her- 
self to  the  abyss  of  nothingness ;  being  without  fault,  She 
debased  Herself  more  than  all  the  children  of  Adam  with 
all  their  miseries. 

10.  This  whole  vision  and  all  its  effects  the  Most  High 
arranged  in  such  a  way  as  to  open  up  in  the  heart  of  Mary 
the  deep  trenches  that  were  required  for  the  foundations 


THE    INCARNATION  29 

of  the  edifice,  which  He  wished  to  erect  in  Her:  namely 
so  high  a  one,  that  it  would  reach  up  to  the  substantial 
and  hypostatic  union  of  the  human  and  divine  nature. 
And  as  the  dignity  of  Mother  of  God  was  without  limits 
and  to  a  certain  extent  infinite,  it  was  becoming  that  She 
should  be  grounded  in  a  proportionate  humility,  such  as 
would  be  without  limits  though  still  within  the  bounds 
of  reason  itself.  Attaining  the  summit  of  virtue,  this 
blessed  One  among  women  humiliated  Herself  to  such 
an  extent,  that  the  most  holy  Trinity  was,  as  it  were,  fully 
paid  and  satisfied,  and  (according  to  our  mode  of  under- 
standing) constrained  to  raise  Her  to  the  highest  position 
and  dignity  possible  among  creatures  and  nearest  to  the 
Divinity  itself.  In  this  highest  benevolence  his  Majesty 
spoke  and  said  to  Her : 

11.  "My  Spouse  and  Dove,  great  is  my  desire  of 
redeeming  man  from  sin  and  my  immense  kindness  is 
as  it  were  strained  in  waiting  for  the  time,  in  which  I 
, shall  descend  in  order  to  repair  the  world;  ask  Me  con- 
tinually during  these  days  and  with  great  affection  for 
the  fulfillment  of  this  desire.  Prostrate  in  my  royal 
presence  let  not  thy  petitions  and  clamors  cease,  asking 
Me  that  the  Onlybegotten  of  the  Father  descend  in 
reality  to  unite  Himself  with  the  human  nature."  Where- 
upon the  heavenly  Princess  responded  and  said :  "Lord 
and  God  eternal,  whose  is  all  the  power  and  wisdom, 
whose  wish  none  can  resist  (Esther  13,  9),  who  shall 
hinder  thy  Omnipotence?  Who  shall  detain  the  im- 
petuous current  of  thy  Divinity,  so  that  thy  pleasure 
in  conferring  this  benefit  upon  the  whole  human  race 
remain  unfulfilled?  If  perhaps,  O  my  Beloved,  I  am  a 
hindrance  to  such  an  immeasurable  benefit,  let  me  perish 
before  I  impede  thy  pleasure ;  this  blessing  cannot  depend 
upon  the  merits  of  any  creature ;  therefore,  my  Lord  and 

2-4 


30  CITY   OF   GOD 

Master,  do  not  wait,  as  we  might  later  on  merit  it  so 
much  the  less.  The  sins  of  men  increase  and  the  offenses 
against  Thee  are  multiplied ;  how  shall  we  merit  the  very 
blessing,  of  which  we  become  daily  more  unworthy?  In 
Thee  thyself,  my  Lord,  exists  the  last  cause  and  motive 
of  our  salvation;  thy  infinite  bounty,  thy  numberless 
mercies  incite  Thee,  the  groans  of  thy  Prophets  and  of 
the  Fathers  of  thy  people  solicit  Thee,  the  saints  sigh 
after  Thee,  the  sinners  look  for  Thee  and  all  of  them 
together  call  out  to  Thee ;  and  if  I,  insignificant  wormlet, 
on  account  of  my  ingratitude,  am  not  unworthy  of  thy 
merciful  condescension,  I  venture  to  beseech  Thee,  from 
the  bottom  of  my  heart,  to  speed  thy  coming  and  to 
hasten  thy  Redemption  for  thy  greater  glory." 

12.  When  the  Princess  of  heaven  had  finished  this 
prayer.  She  returned  to  her  ordinary  and  more  natural 
state ;  but  anxious  to  fulfill  the  mandate  of  the  Lord,  She 
continued  during  that  whole  day  her  petitions  for  the 
Incarnation  of  the  Word  and  with  the  deepest  humility 
She  repeated  the  exercises  of  prostrating  Herself  to  the 
ground  and  praying  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  For  the 
Holy  Ghost,  who  governed  Her,  had  taught  Her  this 
posture,  by  which  She  so  highly  pleased  the  most  blessed 
Trinity.  God  saw,  in  the  body  of  the  future  Mother  of 
the  Word,  as  it  were  the  crucified  person  of  Christ  and 
therefore  He  received  this  morning  sacrifice  of  the  most 
pure  Virgin  as  an  advance  offering  of  that  of  his  most 
holy  Son. 

INSTRUCTION   WHICH  THE  QUEEN  OE  HEAVEN  GAVE  ME. 

13.  My  daughter,  the  mortals  are  not  capable  of  un- 
derstanding the  ineffable  operations  of  the  arm  of  the 
Omnipotent  in  preparing  me  for  the  Incarnation  of  the 
eternal  Word.     Especially  during  the  nine  days,  which 


THE   INCARNATION  31 

preceded  this  exalted  sacrament  was  my  spirit  elevated 
and  united  with  the  immutable  being  of  the  Divinity.  I 
was  submerged  in  the  ocean  of  his  infinite  perfections, 
participating  in  all  those  eminent  and  divine  effect,  which 
are  beyond  all  presentiment  of  the  human  hearts.  The 
knowledge  of  creatures  communicated  to  me  penetrated 
into  their  very  essence,  so  that  it  was  more  profound  and 
piercing  than  that  of  all  the  angelic  spirits,  though  their 
knowledge  of  creation,  on  account  of  the  beatific  vision, 
is  altogether  admirable.  Moreover  the  images  of  them 
all  were  impressed  upon  my  mind  to  be  used  by  me 
according  as  I  desired. 

14.  What  I  wish  of  thee  today  is  to  take  notice  how 
I  used  this  knowledge  and  to  imitate  me  according  to 
thy  power  with  the  help  of  the  infused  light,  which  thou 
hast  received  for  this  purpose.  Profit  by  the  knowledge 
of  creatures  by  making  of  them  a  ladder  to  ascend  unto 
God  thy  Creator ;  so  that  thou  mayest  seek  in  all  of  them 
their  first  beginning  and  their  last  end.  Let  them  serve 
thee  as  a  mirror  from  which  the  Godhead  is  reflected, 
reminding  thee  of  his  Omnipotence  and  inciting  thee  to 
the  love,  which  He  seeks  in  thee.  Be  thou  filled  with 
wonder  and  praise  at  the  greatness  and  magnificence  of 
the  Creator  and  in  his  presence  humiliate  thyself  to  the 
dust.  Shun  no  difficulty  or  suffering  in  order  to  become 
meek  and  humble  of  heart.  Take  notice,  my  dearest, 
that  this  virtue  of  humility  was  the  firm  foundation  of 
all  the  wonders,  which  the  Most  High  wrought  in  me; 
and  in  order  that  thou  mayest  esteem  this  virtue  so  much 
the  more,  remember  that  of  all  others,  it  is  at  the  same 
time  the  most  precious,  the  most  delicate  and  perishable ; 
for  if  thou  lose  it  in  any  respect,  and  if  thou  be  not 
humble  in  all  things  without  exception,  thou  wilt  not 
be  humble  in  anything.     Remember  thy  earthly  and  cor- 


32     ,  CITY   OF   GOD 

ruptible  nature,  and  be  not  ignorant  of  the  fact,  that  the 
Most  High  has  providentially  formed  man  in  such  a  way 
that  his  own  existence  and  formation  intimate  and  re- 
hearse the  important  lesson  of  humility  never  allowing 
him  to  be  without  this  salutary  teaching.  On  this 
account  He  has  not  formed  him  of  the  most  excellent 
material,  and  has  concealed  the  noblest  part  of  his  being 
in  the  sanctuary  of  his  interior  (Exod.  30,  24),  teaching 
him  to  weigh  as  in  a  balance  on  the  one  side,  the  infinite 
and  eternal  existence  of  the  Lord,  and  on  the  other,  his 
own  ignoble  material  existence.  Thus  he  is  to  give  unto 
God  what  belongs  to  Him,  and  to  himself  what  belongs 
to  his  own  self  (Matth.  22,  21). 

15.  Most  zealously  I  attended  to  this  adjustment,  be- 
coming an  example  and  guide  therein  to  all  the  mortals. 
I  wish  that  thou  also  do  it  in  imitation  of  me,  and  that 
thou  zealously  study  to  acquire  the  humility,  which 
pleases  the  Most  High  and  myself,  who  desire  thy  true 
advancement.  I  wish  that  thy  perfection  be  built  up  in 
the  deep  trenches  of  thy  own  self-knowledge;  in  order 
that  the  deeper  its  foundations  are  laid,  to  so  much  the 
higher  and  more  exalted  perfection  may  rise  the  edifice 
of  thy  virtue.  Thus  thy  will  shall  find  a  most  intimate 
conformity  with  that  of  the  Lord,  who  looks  down  from 
the  eminence  of  his  throne  upon  the  humble  of  the  earth. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  LORD  ON  THE  SECOND  DAY  CONTINUES  HIS  EAVORS 
IN  PREPARATION  FOR  THE  INCARNATION  OE  THE 
WORD  IN  THE  MOST  HOLY  MARY. 

16.  In  the  first  part  of  this  history  (Part  I,  219),  I 
mentioned,  that  the  most  pure  body  of  Mary  was  con- 
ceived and  perfectly  formed  within  the  space  of  seven 
days.  The  Most  High  wished  to  work  this  miracle,  in 
order  that  this  most  holy  soul  might  not  have  to  wait  so 
long  as  the  souls  of  ordinary  mortals.  He  wished  it  to 
be  created  and  infused  before  the  usual  time,  (as  it  also 
really  happened),  in  order  that  this  beginning  of  the 
reparation  of  the  world  might  have  some  similarity  to 
the  beginning  of  its  creation.  This  correspondence  again 
took  place  at  the  coming  of  the  Redeemer  so  that,  having 
formed  the  new  Adam,  Christ,  God  might  rest  as  one 
who  had  strained  all  the  powers  of  his  Omnipotence  in 
the  greatest  of  his  works;  and  that  He  might  enjoy  the 
most  delicious  Sabbath  of  all  his  delights.  And  as  these 
wonders  necessitated  the  intervention  of  the  Mother  of 
the  divine  Word,  who  was  to  give  Him  a  visible  form, 
and  as  She  was  to  unite  the  two  extremes,  man  and  God, 
it  was  proper  that  She  should  bear  relation  to  both. 
Her  dignity  was  inferior  only  to  that  of  God  and  supe- 
rior to  all  that  was  not  God ;  to  this  dignity  belonged  also 
a  proportionate  knowledge  and  understanding,  as  well  of 
the  highest  essence  of  the  Divinity,  as  also  of  all  the 
inferior  creatures. 

17.  Following  up  his  intention,  the  supreme  Lord  con- 

33 


34  CITY   OF   GOD 

tinued  the  favors,  by  which  He  wished  to  dispose  most 
holy  Mary  for  the  Incarnation  during  nine  days,  as  I  have 
begun  to  explain.  On  the  second  day,  at  the  same  hour 
of  midnight,  the  Virgin  Mary  was  visited  in  the  same  way 
as  described  in  the  last  chapter.  The  divine  power  raised 
Her  up  by  the  same  elevations  and  illuminlngs  to  prepare 
Her  for  the  visions  of  the  Divinity.  He  manifested 
Himself  again  in  an  abstractive  manner  as  on  the  first 
day,  and  She  was  shown  the  works  performed  on  the 
second  day  of  the  creation.  She  learnt  how  and  when 
God  divided  the  waters  (Gen,  1,  6),  some  above  and 
others  below,  establishing  the  firmament,  and  above  it 
the  crystal,  known  also  as  the  watery  heaven.  Her  in- 
sight penetrated  into  the  greatness,  order,  conditions, 
movements  and  all  the  other  qualities  and  conditions  of 
the  heavens. 

18.  And  in  the  most  prudent  Virgin  this  knowledge 
did  not  lay  idle,  nor  remain  sterile ;  for  immediately  the 
most  clear  light  of  the  Divinity  overflowed  in  Her,  and 
inflamed  and  emblazoned  Her  with  admiration,  praise  and 
love  of  the  goodness  and  power  of  God.  Being  trans- 
formed as  it  were  with  a  godlike  excellence.  She  produced 
heroic  acts  of  all  the  virtues,  entirely  pleasing  to  his 
divine  Majesty.  And  as  in  the  preceding  first  day  God 
had  made  Her  a  participant  of  his  wisdom,  so  on  this 
second  day,  He  made  Her  in  corresponding  measure  a 
participant  in  the  divine  Omnipotence,  and  gave  Her 
power  over  the  influences  of  the  heavens,  of  the  planets 
and  elements,  commanding  them  all  to  obey  Her.  Thus 
was  this  great  Queen  raised  to  Sovereignty  over  the  sea, 
the  earth,  the  elements  and  the  celestial  orbs,  with  all  the 
creatures,  which  are  contained  therein. 

19.  This  sovereignty  and  supreme  power  belonged  to 
the  dignity  of  most  holy  Mary  on  account  of  the  reason 


THE   INCARNATION  35 

mentioned  above ;  and  besides  for  two  other  special  ones ; 
the  first:  because  this  Lady  was  the  privileged  Queen, 
exempt  from  the  common  law  of  sin  and  its  conse- 
quences: therefore  She  was  not  to  be  put  in  the  same 
general  class  with  the  insensate  sons  of  Adam,  against 
whom  the  Omnipotent  armed  the  creatures  (Wisd.  5,  18) 
for  vengeance  of  his  injuries  and  for  the  punishment  of 
their  frenzy.  For  if  they  had  not  in  their  disobedience 
turned  against  their  Creator,  neither  would  the  elements 
nor  their  dependencies  have  been  disobedient  toward 
them,  nor  would  they  have  molested  them,  nor*  turned 
against  them  the  rigor  and  inclemency  of  their  activity. 
And  if  this  rebellion  of  the  creatures  is  a  punishment  of 
sin,  it  could  not  justly  extend  itself  to  the  most  holy 
Mary,  who  was  immaculate  and  without  fault.  Nor  was 
it  just,  that  She  should  be  less  privileged  than  the  angels, 
who  were  not  subject  to  these  consequences  of  sin,  or 
deprived  of  the  dominion  over  the  elementary  powers. 
Although  most  holy  Mary  was  of  corporeal  and  terres- 
trial substance,  yet  She  raised  Herself  above  all  corporeal 
and  spiritual  creatures,  and  made  Herself  Queen  and 
Mistress  of  all  creation.  In  this,  therefore,  She  deserved 
so  much  the  higher  credit,  as  it  was  the  rarer  and  the 
more  precious.  More  must  be  conceded  to  the  Queen 
than  to  her  vassals,  more  to  the  Mistress  than  to  the 
servants. 

20.  The  second  reason  is,  because  her  most  holy  Son 
was  Himself  to  obey  this  heavenly  Queen  and  his  Mother. 
Since  He  was  the  Creator  of  the  elements  and  of  all 
things,  it  follows  naturally  that  they  should  obey  Her,  to 
whom  the  Creator  subjected  Himself,  and  that  they 
should  be  commanded  by  Her.  Was  not  the  person  of 
Christ  himself,  in  so  far  as  his  human  nature  was  con- 
cerned, to  be  governed  by  his  Mother  according  to  the 


36  CITY    OF    GOD 

constitution  and  law  of  nature?  This  privilege  of  sov- 
ereignty tended  also  greatly  to  enhance  the  virtues  and 
merits  of  most  holy  Mary,  for  thereby  that  which  in 
ourselves  is  usually  done  under  constraint  and  against 
our  will,  was  performed  by  Her  freely  and  meritoriously. 
This  most  prudent  Queen  did  not  use  her  sovereignty 
over  the  elements  and  the  creatures  indiscriminately  and 
for  her  own  alleviation  and  comfort ;  but  She  commanded 
the  creatures  not  to  suspend  their  activities  and  influences 
in  as  far  as  they  would  naturally  be  painful  and  incon- 
venient'to  Her.  For  in  these  things  She  was  to  be  like 
her  most  holy  Son  and  suffer  conjointly  with  Him.  Her 
love  and  humility  did  not  permit  Her  to  withhold  and 
suspend  the  inclemencies  of  the  creatures  in  her  regard, 
since  She  knew  how  valuable  suffering  is  and  how 
estimable  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord. 

21.  Only  on  some  occasions,  when  She  knew  that  it 
was  not  for  her  benefit  but  necessary  for  her  Son  and 
Creator,  the  sweet  Mother  restrained  the  force  of  the 
elements  and  their  influences,  as  we  shall  see  farther  on 
during  her  journey  to  Egypt  and  on  other  occasions, 
where  She  most  prudently  judged  it  proper,  that  the 
creatures  recognize  their  Creator  and  reverence  Him, 
or  protect  and  serve  Him  in  some  necessity  (Infr.  543, 
590,  633).  What  mortal  will  not  marvel  at  the  knowl- 
edge of  such  a  new  miracle?  To  see  a  mere  earthly 
creature,  yet  One  clothed  with  the  sovereignty  and 
dominion  of  the  whole  creation,  esteem  Herself  in  her 
own  eyes  as  the  most  unworthy  and  insignificant  of  the 
creatures,  and,  in  these  humble  sentiments,  command  the 
wrath  of  the  winds  and  all  the  rigors  of  the  natural 
elements  to  turn  against  Her  and  under  obedience  fulfill 
her  command !  In  obeying  Her,  however,  these  elements, 
full  of  reverence  and  courtesy  toward  such  a  Mistress, 


THE   INCARNATION  37 

yielded  to  her  wishes,  not  in  vengeance  of  the  wrongs  of 
their  Creator,  as  they  do  in  regard  to  the  rest  of  the 
children  of  Adam,  but  in  order  to  respect  her  commands. 

22.  In  the  presence  of  this  humiUty  of  our  invincible 
Queen,  we  mortals  cannot  deny  our  most  arrogant  vanity 
and  presumption,  or  rather  our  audacity,  since,  seeing 
that  on  account  of  our  insane  outrages  we  merit  the 
furious  rebellion  of  the  elements  and  of  all  the  harmful 
forces  of  the  universe  against  us,  we  complain  of  their 
rigor,  as  if  their  molestations  were  an  injury.  We  depre- 
cate the  rigor  of  the  cold,  we  complain  of  the  exhaustion 
of  heat;  all  painful  things  we  abhor,  arid  we  condemn 
with  all  energy  these  ministers  of  divine  justice  and  seek 
our  own  comforts  and  delights,  as  if  they  were  to  last 
forever  and  as  if  it  were  not  certain  that  we  are  only 
drawing  therefrom  a  heavier  punishment  of  our  faults. 

23.  But  returning  to  the  consideration  of  the  knowl- 
edge and  power  given  to  the  Princess  of  heaven  and  the 
other  gifts  preparing  Her  worthily  for  the  position  of 
Mother  of  God,  we  can  understand  their  excellence,  for 
we  see  in  them  a  certain  infinity  or  boundlessness,  par- 
ticipating of  the  Divinity,  and  similar  to  that  which  was 
afterwards  possessed  by  the  most  holy  soul  of  Christ. 
For  She  not  only  knew  all  creatures  in  God,  but  compre- 
hended them  in  such  a  way  as  to  master  them  and  at 
the  same  time  reserve  capacity  for  knowing  many  others, 
if  there  had  existed  more  to  be  known.  I  call  this  knowl- 
edge an  infinity,  because  it  seems  to  partake  of  the  quali- 
ties of  infinite  knowledge  and  because,  in  one  and  the 
same  action  of  her  mind  and  without  successive  ad- 
vertence. She  saw  and  perceived  the  number  of  the 
heavens,  their  latitude  and  profundity,  their  order, 
motions,  qualities,  their  matter  and  form;  the  elements 
with  all  their  changes  and  accidents:  all  of  these  She 


38  CITY"  OF   GOD 

knew  at  the  same  time.  The  only  thing  the  most  wise 
Virgin  did  not  know  was  the  immediate  end  of  this 
knowledge  until  the  moment  of  her  consent  and  the  ful- 
fillment of  the  ineffable  mercy  of  the  Most  High.  She 
continued  during  these  days  her  most  fervent  prayers  for 
the  coming  of  the  Messias,  according  to  the  command  of 
the  Lord.  And  He  had  given  Her  to  understand  that 
He  would  not  tarry,  as  the  time  destined  for  his  arrival 
was  at  hand. 

INSTRUCTION     WHICH     THE     QUEEN      OF     HEAVEN 
GAVE     ME. 

24.  My  daughter,  from  what  thou  art  going  to  learn 
of  the  favors  and  blessings  conferred  upon  me  in  prepa- 
ration for  the  dignity  of  Mother  of  God,  I  wish  thee  to 
perceive  the  admirable  order  of  his  wisdom  in  the  cre- 
ation of  man.  Take  notice,  therefore,  that  his  Creator 
made  him  out  of  nothing,  not  in  order  to  be  a  slave,  but 
in  order  to  be  the  king  and  the  master  of  all  creation 
(Gen.  1,  26),  and  in  order  that  he  make  use  of  creatures 
in  sovereignty,  command  and  mastery;  yet  at  the  same 
time  man  was  to  recognize  himself  as  the  image  of  his 
Maker  and  the  work  of  his  hand,  remaining  more  de- 
voted to  God  and  more  submissive  to  his  will  than  the 
creatures  to  man;  for  all  this  was  demanded  by  justice 
and  reason.  And  in  order  that  man  might  not  be  with- 
out information  and  knowledge  of  the  Creator  and  of 
the  means  of  perceiving  and  executing  his  will.  He  added 
to  his  natural  light  a  greater  one,  more  penetrating,  more 
limpid,  more  certain,  more  free  and  extensive,  namely  the 
light  of  divine  faith,  by  which  man  might  know  the 
existence  of  God  and  of  his  perfections,  and  conjointly 


THE    INCARNATION  39 

with  these,  his  works.  Furnished  with  this  knowledge 
and  dominion  man  was  established  in  good  standing, 
honored  and  enriched,  having  no  excuse  for  not  devoting 
himself  entirely  to  the  fulfillment  of  the  divine  will. 

25.  But  the  foolishness  of  man  disturbs  this  order  and 
destroys  this  harmony,  when,  being  created  as  the  lord 
and  king  of  creatures,  he  enslaves  himself,  subjecting 
himself  to  them,  and  degrading  his  dignity  in  using  visi- 
ble things  not  as  a  prudent  master,  but  as  an  unworthy 
vassal.  For  he  debases  himself  beneath  the  lowest  of 
creatures,  by  losing  sight  of  the  fact  that  he  is  their 
superior.  All  this  perversity  arises  from  the  use  of  crea- 
tures not  for  the  service  of  the  Creator  through  well 
ordered  faith,  but  for  the  indulgence  of  the  passions  and 
the  delights  of  the  senses.  Hence  also  arises  man's  great 
abhorrence  of  those  things  which  are  not  pleasing  to  the 
senses. 

26.  Thou,  my  dearest,  look  faithfully  toward  thy  Cre- 
ator and  Lord  and  in  thy  soul  seek  to  copy  the  image  of 
his  divine  perfections :  lose  not  the  mastery  and  dominion 
over  creatures,  let  none  of  them  infringe  upon  thy 
liberty;  but  seek  to  triumph  over  all  of  them,  allowing 
nothing  to  interpose  itself  between  thee  and  thy  Creator. 
Subject  thyself  gladly,  not  to  the  pleasurable  in  creatures, 
since  that  will  obscure  thy  understanding  and  weaken  thy 
will,  but  to  the  adverse  and  the  painful  resulting  from 
their  activity.  Suffer  this  with  joyous  willingness,  for 
I  have  done  the  same  in  imitation  of  my  Son,  although 
I  had  the  power  to  neutralize  their  molestations  and  had 
no  sins  to  atone  for. 


CHAPTER  III. 

WHAT  FAVORS  TH^  MOST  HIGH  CONFERRED  ON  MOST 
HOLY  MARY  ON  THE  THIRD  DAY  OF  THE  NOVENA 
BEFORE  THE  INCARNATION. 

27.  The  right  arm  of  the  Most  High,  which  threw 
open  the  doors  of  the  Divinity  to  most  holy  Mary,  con- 
tinued to  enrich  and  adorn  at  the  expense  of  his  infinite 
attributes  this  most  pure  spirit  and  virginal  body  which 
He  had  chosen  as  his  tabernacle,  as  his  temple,  and  as 
the  holy  city  of  his  habitation.  And  the  heavenly  Lady, 
engulfed  in  this  vastness  of  the  Divinity,  winged  her 
flight  day  by  day  farther  away  from  earthly  things,  and 
transformed  Herself  more  and  more  into  a  heavenly 
being,  discovering  ever  new  sacraments  in  the  Most  High. 
For  as  He  is  the  infinite  Object  of  desire,  although  the 
appetite  is  satiated  with  that  which  is  received,  always 
more  remains  to  be  desired  and  understood.  Not  all  the 
hierarchies  of  the  angels,  nor  all  men  together,  have 
attained  such  preferment  in  blessings,  mysteries  and 
sacraments  as  this  Princess  attained,  especially  as  regards 
those  due  to  Her  as  Mother  of  the  Creator 

28.  On  the  third  day  of  preparation  at  which  I  have 
now  arrived,  having  again  been  prepared  as  on  the  first 
day,  the  Divinity  manifested  Itself  anew  in  abstractive 
vision.  Too  slow  and  inadequate  are  our  powers  for 
understanding  the  increase  of  the  gifts  and  graces,  which 
the  Most  High  then  lavished  on  heavenly  Mary;  and  at 
this  juncture  I  am  at  a  loss  for  words  to  explain  even 
the  least  portion  of  what  I  perceived.     I  can  only  express 

40 


THE   INCARNATION  41 

myself  by  saying,  that  the  divine  wisdom  and  power  pro- 
ceeded in  a  manner  worthy  of  Her,  who  was  to  be  the 
Mother  of  the  Word,  so  as  to  ensure,  as  far  as  is  possible 
for  a  creature,  that  likeness  and  proportion,  which  was 
due  to  the  divine  Persons.  Whoever  has  even  a  faint 
understanding  of  the  distance  which  lies  between  the  two 
extremes,  the  infinite  God  and  the  limited  human  crea- 
ture, can  comprehend  so  much  the  better,  what  is  neces- 
sary to  bring  them  together  and  establish  a  proportion. 

29.  More  and  more  the  Queen  of  heaven  reflected  his 
infinite  attributes  and  virtues;  more  and  more  brilliantly 
shone  forth  her  beauty  under  the  touch  of  the  pencil  of 
the  divine  Wisdom  and  under  the  colors  and  lights  added 
to  it  from  on  high.  On  this  day  She  was  informed  of 
the  works  of  creation  as  they  happened  on  the  third  day. 
She  learned  when  and  how  the  waters,  which  were  be- 
neath the  firmament,  flowed  together  in  one  place 
(Gen.  1,  9),  disclosing  the  dry  land,  which  the  Lotd 
called  earth,  while  He  called  the  waters  the  sea.  She 
learned  in  what  way  the  earth  brought  forth  the  fresh 
herbs,  and  all  plants  and  fructiferous  trees  with  their 
seeds,  each  one  according  to  its  kind.  She  was  taught 
and  She  comprehended  the  greatness  of  the  sea,  its  depth 
and  its  divisions,  its  correspondence  with  the  streams 
and  the  fountains,  that  take  their  rise  from  it  and  flow 
back  into  it;  the  different  plants  and  herbs,  the  flowers, 
trees,  roots,  fruits  and  seeds ;  She  perceived  how  all  an<i 
each  one  of  them  serve  for  the  use  of  man.  All  this  our 
Queen  understood  and  penetrated  with  the  keenest  insight 
more  clearly,  distinctly  and  comprehensibly  than  Adam 
or  Solomon.  In  comparison  with  Her  all  those  skilled 
in  medicine  in  the  world  would  appear  but  ignorant  even 
after  the  most  thorough  studies  and  largest  experience. 
The  most  holy  Mary  knew  all  that  was  hidden  from 


42  CITY   OF   GOD 

sight,  as  Wisdom  says  (Wis.  7,  21);  and  just  as  She 
learned  it  without  any  fiction,  She  also  communicates  it 
without  envy.  Whatever  Solomon  says  there  in  the 
book  of  Wisdom  was  realized  in  Her  with  incomparable 
and  eminent  perfection. 

30.  On  some  occasions  our  Queen  made  use  of  this 
science  in  order  to  exercise  her  charity  toward  the  poor 
and  needy,  as  will  be  related  in  the  sequence  of  this  his- 
tory (No.  668,  867,  868,  1048;  III.  159,  423).  She  had 
it  under  perfect  control,  and  it  was  as  familiar  to  Her  as 
the  well-trained  musician  is  with  his  instrument.  The 
same  was  true  of  all  the  rest  of  the  sciences,  whenever 
She  found  it  desirable  or  necessary  to  make  use  of  them 
in  the  service  of  the  Most  High.  For  She  was  Mistress 
of  all  of  them  more  perfectly  than  any  of  the  mortals  who 
ever  did  excel  in  any  art  or  science.  She  was  versed  in 
the  virtuous  qualities  and  activities  of  the  stones,  herbs 
and  plants,  and  in  Her  was  true  what  Christ  our  Lord 
promised  to  the  Apostles  and  first  Christians,  that 
poisonous  draughts  would  not  hurt  them.  This  privi- 
lege belonged  to  the  Queen  as  a  sovereign,  so  that  neither 
poison  or  any  other  thing  could  ever  injure  Her  or 
cause  Her  any  harm  except  with  her  permission. 

31.  These  privileges  and  favors  the  most  prudent 
Princess  and  Lady  always  kept  concealed,  and  She  made 
no  use  of  them  for  Herself,  as  I  have  said,  desiring  not 
to  be  deprived  of  a  share  in  the  suffering,  which  had  been 
chosen  by  her  most  holy  Son.  Before  conceiving  Him 
and  becoming  his  Mother,  She  was  inspired  with  divine 
knowledge  and  science  concerning  the  passibility  of  the 
Word  made  flesh.  And  when  She  became  Mother  She 
saw  and  experienced  this  truth  in  her  Son  and  Lord  him- 
self and  therefore  She  gave  a  greater  license,  or  rather 
a  more  strict  command,  to  creatures  to  afflict  Her,  since. 


THE   INCARNATION  43 

She  saw  the  resuhs  of  this  activity  in  their  own  Creator. 
Hence,  as  the  Most  High  did  not  wish  his  only  and 
chosen  Spouse  to  be  continually  molested  by  the  crea- 
tures, even  though  She  herself  desired  it,  He  often 
restrained  them  and  neutralized  their  operations,  so  that 
the  heavenly  Princess,  unhindered  by  them,  might  occa- 
sionally enjoy  the  delights  of  the  most  high  King. 

32.  There  is  another  special  favor,  which  the  most 
holy  Mary  received  for  the  benefit  of  the  mortals  on  the 
third  day  and  in  that  vision  of  the  Divinity;  for  during 
this  vision  God  manifested  to  Her  in  a  special  way  the 
desire  of  his  divine  love  to  come  to  the  aid  of  men  and 
to  raise  them  up  from  all  their  miseries.  In  accordance 
with  the  knowledge  of  his  infinite  mercy  and  the  object 
for  which  it  was  conceded,  the  Most  High  gave  to  Mary 
a  certain  kind  of  participation  of  his  own  attributes,  in 
order  that  afterwards,  as  the  Mother  and  Advocate  of 
sinners.  She  might  intercede  for  them.  This  participa- 
tion of  the  most  holy  Mary  in  the  love  of  God  and  in 
his  inclination  to  help  Her,  was  so  heavenly  and  powerful ' 
that  if  from  that  time  on  the  strength  of  the  Lord  had 
not  come  to  her  aid.  She  would  not  have  been  able  to 
bear  the  impetuosity  of  her  desire  to  assist  and  save  man- 
kind. Filled  with  this  love  and  charity.  She  would,  if 
necessary  or  feasible,  have  delivered  Herself  an  infinite 
number  of  times  to  the  flames,  to  the  sword  and  to  the 
most  exquisite  torments  of  death  for  their  salvation.  All 
the  torments,  sorrows,  tribulations,  pains,  infirmities  She 
would  have  accepted  and  suffered;  and  She  would  have 
considered  them  a  great  delight  for  the  salvation  of 
sinners.  Whatever  all  men  have  suffered  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  world  till  this  hour,  and  whatever  they 
will  suffer  till  the  end,  would  have  been  a  small  matter 
for  the  love  of  this  most  merciful  Mother.     Let  therefore 


44  CITY  OF   GOD 

mortals  and  sinners  understand  what  they  owe  to  most 
holy  Mary. 

33.  From  that  day  on,  we  can  say,  the  heavenly  Lady 
continued  to  be  the  Mother  of  kindness  and  great  mercy, 
and  for  two  reasons :  first,  because  from  that  moment  She 
sought  with  an  especial  and  anxious  desire  to  communi- 
cate without  envy  the  treasures  of  grace,  which  She  had 
comprehended  and  received;  and  therefore  such  an  ad- 
mirable sweetness  grew  up  in  her  heart,  that  She  was 
ready  to  communicate  it  to  all  men  and  to  shelter  them 
in  her  heart  in  order  to  make  them  participants  of  the 
divine  love,  which  there  was  enkindled.  Secondly,  be- 
cause this  love  of  most  holy  Mary  for  the  salvation  of 
men  was  one  of  the  principal  dispositions  required  for 
conceiving  the  eternal  Word  in  her  virginal  womb.  It 
was  eminently  befitting  that  She  should  be  all  mercy, 
kindness,  piety  and  clemency,  who  was  Herself  to  con- 
ceive and  give  birth  to  the  Word  made  man,  since  He 
in  his  mercy,  clemency  and  love  desired  to  humiliate  Him- 
self to  the  lowliness  of  our  nature,  and  wished  to  be  born 
of  Her  in  order  to  suffer  for  men.  It  is  said :  like  begets 
like :  just  as  the  water  partakes  of  the  qualities  of  the 
minerals  through  which  it  flows;  and  although  the  birth 
of  Christ  originated  in  the  Divinity,  yet  it  also  partook 
of  the  conditions  of  the  Mother  as  far  as  was  possible. 
She  therefore  would  not  have  been  suitable  for  concur- 
rence with  the  Holy  Ghost  in  this  conception,  in  which 
only  the  activity  of  the  man  was  wanting,  if  She  had  not 
been  endowed  with  perfections  corresponding  to  those  of 
the  humanity  of  Christ, 

34.  The  most  holy  Mary  issued  from  this  vision  with 
ever  increasing  fervor,  and  during  all  the  rest  of  the  day 
She  occupied  Herself  in  the  prayers  and  petitions  com- 
manded Her  by  the  Lord.    The  heart  of  her  Spouse  was 


THE   INCARNATION  45 

wounded  with  love,  so  that  (according  to  our  mode  of 
thinking)  He  already  longed  for  the  day  and  the  hour 
when  He  should  rest  in  the  arms  and  recline  at  the  breast 
of  his  Beloved. 

INSTRUCTION   WHICH  THE  MOST  HOLY  QUEEN   GAVE  ME. 

35.  My  dearest  daughter,  great  were  the  favors  which 
the  hand  of  the  Most  High  showered  upon  me  in  the 
visions  of  the  Divinity,  vouchsafed  me  during  the  nine 
days  before  his  conception  in  my  womb.  And  although 
He  did  not  manifest  Himself  intuitively  and  altogether 
unveiled,  yet  He  did  it  in  an  exalted  manner  and  with 
such  effects  as  are  reserved  to  his  wisdom.  In  the  re- 
membrance of  what  I  perceived  in  this  vision,  I  rose  to 
the  true  perception  of  the  position  which  God  held  in 
comparison  to  men  and  men  in  comparison  to  God;  my 
heart  was  inflamed  with  love  and  was  torn  with  sorrow; 
for  I  realized  the  immensity  of  his  love  towards  mortals, 
and  their  most  ungrateful  oblivion  of  his  incomprehensible 
goodness.  Many  times  would  I  have  died  at  the  thought 
of  these  extremes,  if  God  himself  had  not  comforted  and 
preserved  me.  This  sacrifice  of  his  servant  was  most 
pleasing  to  his  Majesty  and  He  accepted  it  with  greater 
complacency  than  all  the  holocausts  of  the  old  Law ;  for 
He  beheld  my  humility  and  delighted  in  it  very  much. 
Whenever  I  performed  these  exercises.  He  showed  great 
mercy  to  me  and  to  my  people. 

36.  These  sacraments,  my  dearest,  I  manifest  to  thee 
in  order  to  encourage  thee  to  imitate  me,  as  far  as  is 
possible  will  thy  weak  forces  aided  by  grace.  Look 
upon  the  works,  which  thou  hast  learnt  of,  as  a  pattern 
and  example  to  be  closely  followed.  Meditate  much,  and 
weigh  over  and  over  again  as  well  in  the  light  of  grace 

2-5 


46  CITY   OF   GOD 

as  in  that  of  reason,  how  exactly  mortals  ought  to  cor- 
respond to  this  immense  kindness  of  God  and  to  his 
eagerness  to  assist  them.  Compare  at  the  same  time  the 
heartless  obduracy  of  the  children  of  Adam.  I  wish 
that  thy  heart  be  softened  in  affectionate  thankfulness 
toward  the  Lord  and  melted  in  sorrow  at  these  unhappy 
proceedings  of  men.  I  assure  thee,  my  daughter,  that 
on  the  day  of  the  general  adjustment,  the  cause  of  the 
greatest  wrath  of  the  just  Judge  shall  be  man's  most 
ungrateful  forgetfulness  of  this  truth ;  and  the  confusion 
of  men  on  account  of  this  wrath  shall  be  such,  that  on 
that  day  they  would  of  their  own  accord  cast  themselves 
into  the  abyss  of  pain,  if  there  were  no  ministers  of  divine 
justice  to  visit  this  retribution  upon  them. 

Z7.  In  order  to  avoid  such  an  abominable  fault  and 
in  order  to  forestall  such  a  horrible  chastisement,  renew 
in  thyself  the  memory  of  the  blessings,  which  thou  hast 
received  at  the  hands  of  his  love  and  infinite  clemency; 
and  remember  that  God  has  distinguished  thee  in  prefer- 
ence to  the  souls  of  many  generations.  Do  not  make  the 
mistake  of  considering  these  great  favors  and  special 
gifts  as  conferred  on  thee  for  thyself  alone:  they  were 
conferred  also  for  the  sake  of  thy  brethren :  for  the  divine 
mercy  is  extended  to  all  men.  Therefore  the  return, 
which  thou  owest  to  the  Lord,  must  be  made  first  for 
thyself  and  then  for  thy  brethren.  And  because  thou  art 
poor,  offer  up  the  life  and  merits  of  my  most  holy  Son, 
and  with  them,  all  that  I  have  suffered  by  the  forces  of 
my  love.  Thus  wilt  thou  make  thyself  pleasing  to  God 
and  tender  some  recompense  for  the  ingratitude  of 
mortals.  In  all  these  things  exercise  thyself  repeatedly 
many  times,  remembering  in  the  meanwhile  what  I 
thought  and  felt  in  similar  acts  and  exercises. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  MOST  HIGH  CONTINUES  HIS  FAVORS  TO  MOST  HOLY 
MARY  ON  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

38.  Still  the  favors  and  most  exalted  mysteries  of  the 
Most  High  toward  our  Queen  and  Lady  in  preparing  Her 
for  approaching  dignity  of  Motherhood  continued.  The 
fourth  day  of  this  preparation  had  arrived  and  at  the 
same  hour  She  was  again  raised  to  the  abstractive  vision 
of  the  Divinity.  But  this  vision  was  accompanied  by 
new  effects  of  exalted  enlightenments  in  this  most  pure 
Soul.  The  divine  power  and  wisdom  has  no  bounds  or 
limits;  to  his  operations  only  our  will,  or  the  limitation 
of  our  created  nature,  offers  resistance.  But  in  the  will 
of  most  holy  Mary  the  divine  power  found  no  hindrance, 
for  all  her  works  were  executed  with  plenitude  of  holi- 
ness and  entirely  according  to  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord, 
drawing  Him  on,  as  He  himself  said,  and  wounding  his 
heart  with  love  (Cant.  4,  9).  Only  in  so  far  as  most 
holy  Mary  was  a  mere  creature  was  the  power  of  the 
divine  arm  limited;  but  within  these  limits  it  could  act 
without  bound  or  restriction,  and  without  measure,  offer- 
ing Her  the  waters  of  wisdom  from  the  purest  and  most 
crystalline  founts  of  the  Divinity. 

39.  The  Most  High  manifested  to  Her  in  this  vision, 
by  most  special  enlightenments,  the  new  Law  of  grace 
which  the  Redeemer  of  the  world  was  to  establish,  the 
Sacraments  contained  in  it,  the  end  for  which  He  would 
leave  them  in  his  new  Church  of  the  Gospel,  the  gifts 
and  blessings  prepared  for  men,  and  his  desire,  that  all 

47 


48  CITY   OF   GOD 

should  be  saved  and  that  all  should  reap  the  fruit  of  the 
Redemption.  And  so  great  was  the  wisdom,  which  the 
most  holy  Mary  drew  from  these  visions,  wherein  She 
was  taught  by  the  highest  Teacher  and  the  Corrector  of 
the  wise  (Wis.  7,  15),  that,  if  by  any  means  man  or  angel 
could  describe  it,  more  books  would  have  to  be  written 
of  this  science  of  our  Lady  than  all  those  which  have 
been  composed  in  this  world  concerning  all  the  arts  and 
sciences,  and  all  the  inventions  of  men.  And  no  wonder 
her  science  was  greater  than  that  of  all  other  men:  for 
into  the  heart  and  mind  of  our  Princess  was  emptied  and 
exhausted  the  ocean  of  the  Divinity,  which  the  sins  and 
the  evil  disposition  of  the  creatures  had  confined,  repressed 
and  circumscribed.  It  was  concealed  within  its  own 
source  until  the  proper  time,  which  was  no  other  than 
the  hour  in  which  She  was  chosen  as  Mother  of  the 
Onlybegotten  of  the  Father. 

40.  Joined  with  the  sweetness  of  this  divine  science, 
our  Queen  felt  a  loving,  yet  piercing  sorrow,  which  this 
very  science  continued  to  renew.  She  perceived  in  the 
Most  High  the  ineffable  treasures  of  grace  and  blessings, 
which  He  had  prepared  for  mortals  and  She  saw  the 
weight  of  the  Divinity  as  it  were  inclined  toward  the 
desire  of  seeing  all  men  enjoy  them  eternally.  At  the 
same  time  She  saw  and  considered  the  wicked  disposition 
of  the  world,  and  how  blindly  mortals  impeded  the  flow 
of  these  treasures  and  deprived  themselves  of  participa- 
tion of  the  Divinity.  From  this  resulted  a  new  kind  of 
martyrdom  full  of  grief  for  the  perdition  of  men  and  of 
the  desire  of  remedying  such  lamentable  loss.  This 
caused  Her  to  offer  up  the  most  exalted  prayers,  peti- 
tions, sacrifices,  humiliations  and  heroic  acts  of  love  of 
God  and  of  men,  in  order  that  no  one,  if  possible,  should 
henceforth  damn  himself,  and  that  all  should  recognize 


THE   INCARNATION  49 

their  Creator,  and  Redeemer,  confess  Him,  adore  and 
love  Him.  All  this  took  place  in  this  very  vision;  but 
as  these  petitions  were  of  the  same  kind  as  those  already 
described,  I  do  not  expatiate  on  them  here. 

41.  In  conjunction  therewith  the  Lord  showed  Her 
also  the  works  of  creation  performed  on  the  fourth  day 
(Gen.  1,  14-17).  The  heavenly  Princess  Mary  learned 
how  and  when  the  luminaries  of  heaven  were  formed  in 
the  firmament  for  dividing  day  and  night  and  for  indi- 
cating the  seasons,  the  days  and  the  years;  how  for  this 
purpose  was  created  the  great  light  of  heaven,  the  sun, 
presiding  as  the  lord  of  the  day,  and  joined  with  it,  the 
moon,  the  lesser  light,  which  reigns  over  the  darkness 
of  the  night.  In  like  manner  were  formed  the  stars  of 
the  eighth  heaven,  in  order  that  they  might  gladden  the 
night  with  their  brilliance  and  preside  with  their  various 
influences  over  both  the  day  and  the  night.  She  under- 
stood what  was  the  material  substance  of  these  luminous 
orbs,  their  form,  their  size,  their  properties,  their  various 
movements  and  the  uniformity  as  well  as  the  inequality 
of  the  planets.  She  knew  the  number  of  the  stars,  and 
all  their  influences  exerted  upon  the  earth,  both  in  regard 
to  the  living  and  the  lifeless  creatures;  the  effects  and 
changes,  which  they  cause  in  them  by  these  influences. 

42.  This  is  not  in  conflict  with  what  the  Prophet  says, 
(Psalm  146,  4),  that  God  knows  the  number  of  the  stars 
and  has  called  them  by  their  names;  for  David  does  not 
thereby  deny  to  his  Majesty  the  liberty  of  conceding  to 
a  creature  that  as  a  privilege  which  He  possesses  by 
nature.  It  is  plain,  that  since  this  knowledge  is  com- 
municable and  since  it  would  contribute  to  Mary's  excel- 
lence, it  should  not  be  denied  to  Her.  Has  He  not  con- 
ferred upon  Her  greater  favors,  and  has  He  not  made 
Her  the  Queen  of  the  stars  and  of  all  other  creatures? 


50  CITY   OF   GOD 

And  this  knowledge  was  as  it  were  only  a  sequel  of  her 
dominion  and  sovereignty  over  the  powers,  influences 
and  movements  of  all  the  celestial  orbs,  since  they  were 
commanded  to  obey  Her  as  their  Queen  and  Lady. 

43.  In  consequence  of  this  command,  which  the  Lord 
gave  to  the  celestial  orbs  and  in  accordance  with  the 
dominion  which  most  holy  Mary  obtained  over  them,  She 
possessed  such  power,  that  if  She  commanded  the  stars 
to  leave  their  positions  in  heaven,  they  would  obey  Her 
instantly  and  would  hasten  to  the  regions  which  She 
chose  to  designate.  The  same  is  true  of  the  sun  and 
the  planets :  all  would  pause  in  their  course  and  suspend 
their  operations  to  execute  the  command  of  Mary.  I 
have  already  said  above  (No.  21)  that  sometimes  her 
Highness  made  use  of  this  sovereignty;  for,  as  we  shall 
see  farther  on,  it  happened  a  few  times  in  Egypt,  where 
the  rays  of  the  sun  are  exceedingly  strong,  that  She  com- 
manded the  sun  to  moderate  its  heat  and  not  to  molest 
or  fatigue  the  infant  God,  its  Master.  And  the  sun 
obeyed  Her  therein,  causing  inconvenience  and  suffering 
to  Her,  because  She  wished  it,  and  yet  respecting  the 
tender  years  of  the  Sun  of  justice,  whom  She  held  in  her 
arms.  The  same  happened  also  with  other  stars,  and  on 
a  few  occasions  She  detained  the  sun  in  its  course,  as  I 
will  mention  later. 

44.  Many  other  hidden  sacraments  the  Most  High  mani- 
fested to  our  great  Queen  in  this  vision,  and  what  I  have 
said  and  will  say  of  all  these  mysteries,  leaves  me  dissat- 
isfied and  with  a  heart  as  it  were  torn  asunder :  for  I  see, 
that  I  can  say  little  of  that  which  I  understand  and,  in 
proportion,  I  understand  still  less  of  what  really  did 
happen  to  the  heavenly  Lady.  Many  of  the  mysteries 
concerning  Her  are  reserved  for  the  last  day,  when  her 
most  holy  Son  shall  proclaim  them,  since  now  we  are  not 


THE   INCARNATION  51 

capable  of  receiving  their  revelation.  The  most  holy 
Mary  issued  from  this  vision  still  more  inflamed  and 
filled  with  the  Divinity,  entirely  transformed  by  the 
knowledge  of  God's  attributes  and  perfections;  and  her 
advance  in  virtues  kept  pace  with  her  progress  in  divine 
favors.  She  multiplied  her  requests,  her  fervent  sighs, 
and  her  meritorious  works,  in  order  to  hasten  the  Incar- 
nation of  the  Word  and  our  salvation. 

INSTRUCTION   WHICH   THE  HEAVENLY   QUEEN   GAVE   ME. 

45.  My  dearest  daughter,  I  wish  that  thou  busy  thyself 
much  in  meditating  and  pondering  upon  that  which  thou: 
hast  understood  of  my  doings  and  sufferings  at  the  time, 
when  the  Most  High  gave  me  such  a  deep  insight  into 
his  goodness,  which  drew  Him  as  with  an  infinite  force 
to  enrich  men,  and  when  He  showed  me  the  want  of  cor- 
respondence and  the  dark  ingratitude  of  the  mortals. 
When  I  turned  from  the  consideration  of  this  most 
liberal  condescension  of  the  Most  High,  to  the  perception 
and  understanding  of  the  foolish  hard-heartedness  of  the 
sinners,  my  soul  was  pierced  with  an  arrow  of  mortal 
anguish,  which  remained  for  life.  And  I  wish  to  tell 
thee  of  another  mystery:  many  times  the  Most  High  in 
order  to  heal  the  affliction  and  consternation  of  my  heart 
in  this  sorrow,  sought  to  console  me  by  saying :  "Accept 
Thou,  my  Spouse,  the  gifts,  which  the  blind  and  ignorant 
world  in  its  unworthiness  despises  and  is  incapable  of 
receiving  and  understanding."  With  these  words  the 
Most  High  was  accustomed  to  set  free  the  currents  of 
his  divine  bounty,  which  rejoiced  my  soul  more  than 
human  powers  can  comprehend,  or  tongue  explain. 

46.  I  desire,  therefore,  that  thou,  my  friend,  be  now 
my  companion  in  the  sorrow  which  I  suffered  and  which 


52  CITY   OF   GOD 

is  so  little  noticed  by  the  living.  In  order  to  imitate  me 
therein  and  in  the  effects  of  this  most  just  g^ief,  thou 
must  deny  thyself,  forget  thyself  entirely,  and  crown 
thy  heart  with  the  thorns  of  sorrow  at  the  behavior  of 
mortals.  Weep  thou  in  seeing  them  laugh  at  their 
eternal  damnation,  for  such  weeping  is  the  most  legiti- 
mate occupation  of  the  true  spouses  of  my  most  holy  Son. 
Let  them  seek  their  delight  only  in  the  tears,  which  they 
pour  out  on  account  of  their  sins  and  those  of  the  igno- 
rant world.  Thus  prepare  thy  heart  in  order  that  the 
Lord  may  make  thee  a  participant  of  his  treasures;  not 
in  order  to  become  rich,  but  in  order  that  his  Majesty 
may  fulfill  his  most  generous  love  toward  thee  and  in 
order  that  souls  may  find  justification.  Imitate  me  in  all 
that  I  teach  thee,  since  thou  knowest  that  this  is  my 
desire  in  favoring  thee. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HIS  MAJESTY  MANIFESTS  NEW  MYSTERIES  AND  SACRA- 
MENTS TOGETHER  WITH  THE  WORKS  OE  THE  FlETH 
DAY  OF  THE  CREATION  TO  MOST  HOLY  MARY,  AND 
HER  HIGHNESS  CONTINUES  TO  PRAY  FOR  THE  INCAR- 
NATION   OF   THE  WORD. 

47.  The  fifth  day  of  the  novena,  which  the  most  blessed 
Trinity  celebrated  in  the  temple  of  most  holy  Mary,  in 
order  that  the  eternal  Word  might  assume  human  shape 
in  Her,  had  arrived.  Just  as  in  the  preceding  days  She 
was  elevated  to  an  abstractive  vision  of  the  Divinity, 
and,  as  the  veil  fell  more  and  more  from  the  secrets  of 
the  infinite  wisdom.  She  discovered  new  mysteries  also 
during  this  day.  For  the  preparations  and  enlighten- 
ments emitted  ever  stronger  rays  of  light  and  divine 
graces,  which  flashed  into  her  most  holy  soul  and  emptied 
the  treasures  of  infinity  into  her  faculties,  assimilating 
and  transforming  the  heavenly  Lady  more  and  more  to 
a  likeness  of  her  God  in  order  to  make  Her  worthy  of 
being  his  Mother. 

48.  In  this  vision,  showing  Himself  to  Her  with  in- 
effable signs  of  affection,  the  Most  High  spoke  to  the 
heavenly  Queen  and  manifested  to  Her  additional  secrets, 
saying :  "My  Spouse  and  my  Dove,  in  the  secret  of  my 
bosom  thou  hast  perceived  the  immense  bounty,  to  which 
my  love  for  the  human  race  inclines  Me,  and  the  treas- 
ures, which  are  secretly  prepared  for  their  happiness :  so 
powerful  is  this  love  in  Me,  that  I  wish  to  give  them 
my   Only  begotten   for  their   instruction  and  salvaltiort. 

S3 


54  CITY   OF   GOD 

Thou  hast  also  seen  something  of  the  small  returns,  of 
their  most  listless  ingratitude  and  contempt,  in  whieh 
men  hold  my  clemency  and  love.  Yet,  although  I  have 
shown  thee  part  of  their  malice,  I  wish,  my  friend,  that 
thou  shouldst  once  more  know  in  Me,  how  small  is  the 
number  of  those  who  are  to  know  and  love  me  as  my 
chosen  ones ;  and  how  great  and  extended  is  the  number 
of  the  ungrateful  and  the  reprobate.  The  innumerable 
sins  and  abominations  of  these  impure  and  defiled  men, 
whom  I  have  foreseen  in  my  infinite  knowledge,  retard 
my  bounteous  mercy  and  have  locked  up  the  treasurehouse 
of  my  Divinity,  making  the  world  entirely  unworthy  of 
receiving  my  gifts." 

49.  The  Princess  Mary,  through  these  words  of  the 
Most  High,  was  instructed  in  the  great  mysteries  re- 
garding the  number  of  the  predestined  and  the  reprobate ; 
and  also  regarding  the  hindrances  and  impediments  by 
which  sinful  men  delayed  the  coming  of  the  eternal  Word 
as  man  into  the  world.  Having  present  before  Herself 
the  vision  both  of  the  infinite  bounty  and  equity  of  the 
Creator  and  of  the  measureless  iniquity  and  malice  of 
men,  the  most  prudent  Mistress,  inflamed  by  the  fire  of 
divine  love,  spoke  to  his  Majesty  and  said : 

50.  "My  Lord  and  infinite  God  of  wisdom  and  incom- 
prehensible sanctity,  what  mystery  is  this,  which  Thou 
hast  manifested  to  me?  Without  measure  are  the  mis- 
deeds of  men,  so  that  only  thy  wisdom  can  comprehend 
them.  But  can  all  these  and  many  more,  perhaps,  extin- 
guish thy  bounty  and  love,  or  vie  with  them?  No,  my 
Lord  and  Master,  it  must  not  be  so;  the  malice  of  men 
must  not  detain  thy  mercy.  I  am  the  most  useless  of 
all  the  human  race;  yet  on  its  behalf  I  remind  Thee  of 
thy  fidelity.  Infallibly  true  it  is,  that  heaven  and  earth 
will  come  to  naught,  before  thy  word  can  fail  (Is.  51,  6), 


THE   INCARNATION  55 

and  it  is  also  true,  that  Thou  hast  many  times  given  thy 
word  through  the  holy  Prophets;  and  Thou  hast  prom- 
ised them  by  word  of  mouth,  a  Redeemer  and  our  salva- 
tion. How  then,  my  God,  can  these  promises  fail  of  ful- 
fillment without  conflicting  with  thy  infinite  wisdom;  or 
how  can  man  be  deceived  without  conflicting-  with  thy 
goodness  ?  In  order  to  induce  Thee  to  fulfill  thy  promise 
and  to  secure  them  eternal  felicity  through  thy  incarnate 
Word,  I  have  nothing  to  offer  on  the  part  of  mortals  nor 
can  any  creature  oblige  Thee ;  and  if  this  blessing  could 
be  merited,  then  thy  infinite  and  bounteous  clemency 
would  not  thereby  be  glorified.  Only  through  thy  own 
Self  can  this  obligation  be  imposed  upon  Thee,  for  only 
in  God  can  a  sufficient  reason  be  found  for  his  becoming 
man:  in  Thee  alone  was  the  reason  and  the  motive  for 
our  creation,  and  therefore  in  Thee  alone  also  the  reason 
for  our  reparation  after  our  fall.  Do  not  seek,  my  God 
and  most  high  King,  for  merits,  nor  for  a  greater  motive, 
than  thy  own  mercy  and  the  exaltation  of  thy  holy 
name." 

51.  "It  is  true,  my  Spouse,"  answered  the  Most  High, 
"that  on  account  of  my  goodness  I  bound  Myself  to  the 
promise  of  vesting  Myself  in  human  nature  and  of  dwell- 
ing among  them,  and  that  no  one  could  merit  in  my  sight 
such  a  promise ;  but  the  ungrateful  behavior  of  men,  so 
abominable  in  my  sight  and  in  my  justice,  does  not  merit 
the  execution  of  this  promise.  For  though  I  seek  only 
their  eternal  happiness  as  a  return  of  my  love,  I  perceive 
and  find  only  obduracy,  by  which  they  are  certain  to 
waste  and  despise  the  treasures  of  my  grace  and  blessing. 
They  will  yield  thorns  instead  of  fruit,  great  insults  for 
benefits,  and  base  ingratitude  for  my  unbounded  and  gen- 
erous mercy;  and  the  end  of  all  these  evils  will  be  for 
them  the  privation  of  my  vision  in  eternal  torments. 


56  CITY   OF   GOD 

Take  notice  of  these  truths  recorded  in  the  secrets  of  my 
wisdom,  my  Friend,  and  weigh  these  great  sacraments; 
for  to  thee  my  heart  is  laid  open,  so  that  thou  canst  see 
the  justice  of  my  proceeding." 

52,  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  hidden  secrets, 
which  most  holy  Mary  then  saw  in  the  Lord;  for  She 
perceived  in  Him  all  the  creatures  of  the  past,  present 
and  the  future,  and  the  position  of  each  one  in  creation, 
the  good  and  bad  actions  and  the  final  ending  of  each  one. 
If  She  had  not  been  strengthened.  She  could  not  have 
preserved  her  life  under  the  effects  and  feelings  caused 
by  the  knowledge  and  insight  into  these  hidden  sacra- 
ments and  mysteries.  But  as  his  Majesty,  in  these  new 
miracles  and  blessings  had  such  high  ends  in  view.  He 
was  not  sparing  but  most  liberal  with  the  beloved  One, 
whom  He  had  chosen  as  his  Mother.  And  as  our  Queen 
derived  this  science  from  the  bosom  of  God  itself.  She 
participated  also  in  the  fire  of  his  eternal  Charity,  which 
inflamed  Her  with  the  love  of  God  and  the  neighbor. 
Therefore,  continuing  her  intercession.  She  said : 

53.  "Uord  and  eternal  God,  invisible  and  immortal,  I 
confess  thy  justice,  I  magnify  thy  works,  I  adore  thy 
infinite  Essence  and  hold  in  reverence  thy  judgments. 
My  heart  melts  within  me  with  tenderest  affection,  when 
I  perceive  thy  unlimited  bounty  toward  men  and  their 
dark  ingratitude  and  grossness  toward  Thee.  For  all  of 
them,  O  my  God,  Thou  seekest  eternal  life;  but  there  are 
few  who  are  thankful  for  this  inestimable  benefit,  and 
many  who  will  perish  by  their  malice.  If  on  this  ac- 
count, O  my  eternal  Good,  Thou  relinquishest  thy  under- 
taking, we  mortals  are  lost;  but  while  Thou,  in  thy 
divine  fore-knowledge,  perceivest  the  sins  and  the  malice 
of  men  who  offend  Thee  so  much,  Thou  also  foreseest  thy 
Onlybegotten  made  man  and  his  works  of  infinite  price 


THE   INCARNATION  57 

and  value  in  thy  sight ;  and  these  will  counterbalance  and 
exceed  the  malice  of  sin  beyond  all  comparison.  Through 
this  Godman  let  thy  equity  be  conquered  and  on  his 
account  give  us  Him  now!  and  in  order  to  urge  my 
petitions  upon  Thee  once  more  in  the  name  of  the  human 
race,  I  unite  myself  with  the  spirit  of  this  Word,  already 
made  man  in  thy  mind,  and  pray  for  his  coming  in  fact 
and  for  the  eternal  life  of  men  through  his  hands." 

54.  At  this  prayer  of  most  pure  Mary,  the  eternal 
Father  (in  our  way  of  speaking)  represented  to  Himself 
his  Onlybegotten  as  borne  in  the  virginal  womb  of  this 
great  Queen;  and  He  was  moved  by  her  humble  and 
loving  petitions.  His  apparent  hesitation  was  merely  a 
device  of  his  tender  love  in  order  to  enjoy  so  much  the 
longer  the  voice  of  his  Beloved,  causing  her  sweet  lips 
to  distil  most  sweet  honey  (Cant.  4,  11)  and  her 
emissions  to  be  like  those  of  paradise  (Cant.  4,  13). 
And  to  draw  out  still  more  this  loving  contention,  the 
Lord  answered  Her:  "My  sweetest  Spouse  and  chosen 
Dove,  great  is  that  which  thou  askest  of  Me  and  little  is 
that  which  obliges  Me  on  the  part  of  men ;  how  then  shall 
such  a  singular  blessing  be  conferred  on  those  unworthy 
ones?  Leave  Me,  my  friend,  to  treat  them  according  to 
their  evil  deserts."  Our  powerful  and  kind  Advocate  re- 
sponded: "No,  my  Master,  I  will  not  desist  from  my 
importunity;  if  much  I  ask,  I  ask  it  of  Thee,  who  are 
rich  !n  mercies,  powerful  in  action,  true  in  thy  words. 
My  father  David  said  of  Thee  and  of  the  eternal  Word : 
"The  Lord  hath  sworn,  and  He  will  not  repent :  Thou 
art  a  priest  forever  according  to  the  order  of  Melchise- 
dech"  (Ps.  109,  4).  Let  then  that  Priest  come,  who  is 
at  the  same  time  to  be  the  sacrifice  for  our  rescue;  let 
Him  come,  since  Thou  canst  not  repent  of  thy  promise; 
for  Thou  dost  not  promise  in  ignorance.     Let  me  be 


58  CITY   OF   GOD 

clothed,  O  my  sweet  love,  with  the  strength  of  this  Man 
God,  which  will  not  allow  me  to  put  a  stop  to  my  impor- 
tunity, until  Thou  give  me  thy  blessing  as  to  my  father 
Jacob"  (Gen.  2>2,  26). 

55.  In  this  contest  (just  as  it  once  happened  to  Jacob) 
our  Lady  and  Queen  was  asked,  what  was  her  name; 
and  She  said:  *T  am  a  daughter  of  Adam,  formed  by 
thy  hands  from  the  insignificant  dust."  And  the  Most 
High  answered:  "Henceforth  Thou  shalt  be  called: 
Chosen  for  the  Mother  of  the  Onlybegotten."  But  the 
latter  part  of  this  name  was  heard  only  by  the  courtiers 
of  heaven,  while  to  Her  it  was  as  yet  hidden  until  the 
proper  time.  She  therefore  heard  only  the  word 
"Chosen."  Having  thus  protracted  this  amorous  con- 
tention according  to  the  disposition  of  his  divine  wisdom 
and  as  far  as  served  to  inflame  the  heart  of  this  elected 
One,  the  whole  blessed  Trinity  gave  to  Mary,  our  most 
pure  Queen,  the  explicit  promise,  that  They  would  now 
send  into  the  world  the  eternal  Word  made  man.  Filled 
with  incomparable  joy  and  exultation  by  this  fiat,  She 
asked  and  received  the  benediction  of  the  Most  High. 
Thus  this  strong  Woman  issued  forth  from  the  contest 
with  God  more  victorious  than  Jacob;  for  She  came  out 
rich,  strong  and  laden  with  spoils,  and  the  One  that  was 
wounded  and  weakened  (to  speak  in  our  way)  was  God 
himself;  for  He  was  drawn  by  the  love  of  this  Lady  to 
clothe  Himself  in  that  sacred  bridal  chamber  of  her 
womb  with  the  weakness  of  our  passible  nature.  He 
disguised  and  enveloped  the  strength  of  his  Divinity,  so 
as  to  conquer  in  allowing  Himself  to  be  conquered,  and 
in  order  to  give  us  life  by  his  death.  Let  the  mortals  see 
and  acknowledge,  how  most  holy  Mary,  next  to  her  most 
blessed  Son,  is  the  cause  of  their  salvation. 

56,  During  this  vision  were  also  revealed  to  this  great 


THE   INCARNATION  59 

Queen  the  works  of  the  fifth  day  of  the  creation  in  the 
manner  in  which  they  happened;  She  saw  how,  by  the 
force  of  the  divine  command,  were  engendered  and  pro- 
duced in  the  waters  beneath  the  firmament,  the  imperfect 
reptiles,  which  creep  upon  the  earth,  the  winged  animals 
that  course  through  the  air,  and  the  finny  tribes  that  glide 
through  the  watery  regions.  Of  all  these  creatures  She 
knew  the  beginnings,  the  substance,  the  form  and  figure 
according  to  their  kinds ;  She  knew  all  the  species  of  the 
animals  that  inhabit  the  fields  and  woods,  their  condi- 
tions, peculiarities,  their  uses  and  connections ;  She  knew 
the  birds  of  heaven  (for  so  we  call  the  atmosphere), 
with  the  varied  forms  of  each  kind,  their  ornaments, 
feathers,  their  lightness;  the  innumerable  fishes  of  the 
seas  and  the  rivers,  the  differences  between  the  whales, 
their  forms,  composition  and  qualities,  their  caverns  and 
the  foods  furnished  them  by  the  sea,  the  ends  which  they 
serve,  the  use  to  which  they  can  be  put  in  the  world. 
And  his  Majesty  especially  commanded  all  these  hosts  of 
creatures  to  recognize  and  obey  most  holy  Mary,  giving 
Her  the  power  to  command  all  of  them,  as  it  happened 
on  many  occasions  to  be  mentioned  later  on  (No.  185, 
431,  636).  Therewith  She  issued  from  the  trance  of 
this  day  and  She  occupied  Herself  during  the  rest  of  it 
in  the  exercises  and  petitions,  which  the  Most  High  had 
pointed  out  to  Her. 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH  THE  HEAVENLY  LADY  GAVE  ME. 

57.  My  daughter,  the  more  complete  knowledge  of  the 
wonderful  operations  of  the  arm  of  the  Almighty  in 
raising  me  during  the  abstractive  visions  of  the  Divinity 
to  the  dignity  of  Mother,  is  reserved  for  the  predestined 
when  they  shall  come  to  know  them  in  the  heavenly 


60  CITY   OF   GOD 

Jerusalem.  There  they  shall  understand  and  see  them 
in  the  Lord  Himself  and  with  that  special  delight  and 
astonishment,  which  the  angels  experienced,  when  the 
Most  High  revealed  these  things  to  them  for  his  exal- 
tation and  praise.  And  since  his  Majesty  has  shown 
Himself  so  lovingly  generous  toward  thee,  giving  thee 
in  preference  to  all  the  generations  of  men,  such  great 
knowledge  and  light  concerning  these  so  hidden  sacra- 
ments, I  desire,  my  friend,  that  thou  signalize  thyself 
above  all  creatures  in  praising  and  magnifying  his  holy 
name  for  the  works  of  his  powerful  arm  in  my  regard. 

58.  At  the  same  time  thou  must  strive,  with  all  thy 
power,  to  imitate  me  in  the  works,  which  I  performed  by 
the  aid  of  these  great  and  wonderful  blessings.  Pray 
and  sigh  for  the  eternal  salvation  of  thy  brethren,  and 
that  the  name  of  my  Son  may  be  extolled  by  all  and 
known  to  the  whole  world.  Thou  must  establish  the  habit 
of  this  kind  of  prayer,  by  a  constant  resolve,  founded 
upon  firm  faith  and  unshaken  confidence,  and  by  never 
losing  sight  of  thy  misery  in  profound  humility  and  self- 
abasement.  Thus  prepared,  thou  must  battle  with 
the  divine  love  for  the  good  of  thy  people,  firmly  con- 
vinced, that  the  most  glorious  triumphs  of  divine  love 
may  especially  be  looked  for  in  its  dealings  with  the 
humble,  who  love  God  in  uprightness.  Raise  thyself 
above  thyself  and  give  Him  thanks  for  the  special  bless- 
ings conferred  upon  thee  and  for  those  conferred  upon 
the  human  race.  Transformed  by  this  divine  love,  thou 
wilt  merit  other  gifts,  both  for  thyself  and  for  thy 
brethren ;  and  whenever  thou  findest  thyself  in  his  divine 
presence,  do  thou  ask  for  his  benediction. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE  MOST  HIGH  MANIFESTS  TO  MARY,  OUR  MISTRESS, 
ADDITIONAL  MYSTERIES  AND  SHOWS  HER  THE  WORKS 
OF  THE  SIXTH  DAY  OF  CREATION. 

59.  While  the  Most  High  continued  the  proximate 
preparation  of  our  heavenly  Princess  for  the  reception  of 
the  eternal  Word  in  her  virginal  womb,  She,  on  her  part, 
persevered  without  intermission  in  her  fervent  sighs  and 
prayers  to  hasten  his  coming  into  the  world.  When  the 
night  of  the  sixth  of  these  days,  which  I  have  begun  to 
describe,  had  arrived,  and  when  She  had  previously  been 
elevated  by  still  more  profound  illuminations,  She  was 
again  called  and  invited  in  spirit  to  the  abstractive  vision 
of  the  Divinity.  Although  this  happened  in  the  same 
manner  as  at  other  times,  yet  it  was  accompanied  by  more 
heavenly  effects  and  by  a  more  profound  insight  into  the 
attributes  of  the  Most  High.  She  remained  nine  hours 
in  this  trance  and  issued  from  it  at  the  third  hour.  Yet, 
although  the  high  vision  of  the  essence  of  God  ceased  at 
that  hour,  the  most  holy  Mary  continued  to  enjoy  another 
kind  of  vision  and  prayer.  This  was  indeed  inferior  to 
the  first,  but  in  itself  was  most  exalted  and  more  excel- 
lent than  that  experienced  by  any  of  the  saints  or  the 
just.  The  gifts  and  favors  so  far  described  partook  more 
and  more  of  the  divine  during  the  last  days  preceding  the 
Incarnation,  without  at  the  same  time  being  a  hindrance 
to  the  active  occupations  of  her  married  state,  for  here 
Martha  had  no  right  to  complain,  that  Mary  forsook  her 
in  her  ministrations  (Luc.  10,40). 

60.  Having  seen  God  in  this  vision  She  was  immedi- 
ately shown  the  works  on  the  sixth  day  of  the  creation  of 

2-6  61 


62  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  world.  She  witnessed,  as  if  She  Herself  had  been 
present,  how  at  the  command  of  the  Lord  the  earth 
brought  forth  the  living  beings  according  to  their  kinds, 
as  Moses  says  (Gen.  1,  24),  Holy  Scripture  here  refers 
to  the  terrestrial  animals,  which  being  more  perfect  than 
the  fishes  and  birds  in  life  and  activity,  are  called  by  a 
name  signifying  the  more  important  part  of  their  nature. 
She  saw  and  understood  all  the  kinds  and  species  of 
animals,  which  were  created  on  this  sixth  day,  and  by 
what  name  they  were  called:  some,  beasts  of  burden, 
because  they  serve  and  assist  man,  others,  wild  beasts, 
as  being  more  fierce  and  untamed;  others,  reptiles,  be- 
cause they  do  not  raise  themselves  or  very  little  from  the 
earth.  She  knew  and  comprehended  the  qualities  of  all 
of  them:  their  fury,  their  strength,  the  useful  purposes 
which  they  serve,  and  all  their  distinctions  and  singular- 
ities. Over  all  these  She  was  invested  with  dominion  and 
they  were  commanded  to  obey  Her.  She  could  without 
opposition  on  their  part  have  trodden  upon  asps  and 
basilisks,  for  all  would  have  meekly  borne  her  heel.  Many 
times  did  some  of  these  animals  show  their  subjection  to 
her  commands,  as  when,  at  the  birth  of  her  most  Holy 
Son,  the  ox  and  the  ass  prostrated  themselves  and  by 
their  breaths  warmed  the  infant  God  at  the  command  of 
his  blessed  Mother, 

61.  In  this  plenitude  of  knowledge  and  science  our 
heavenly  Queen  understood  perfectly  the  secret  ways  of 
God  in  making  all  creation  serve  for  the  benefit  of  man, 
and  how  much  man  owes  to  his  Creator  on  this  account. 
And  it  was  most  proper  that  She  should  possess  this 
knowledge  and  understanding,  so  that  with  it  She  might 
be  able  to  give  fitting  thanks  for  these  blessings.  Neither 
men  nor  angels  have  done  so,  failing  to  correspond  and 
falling  short  of  their  duty  in  this  regard.    All  these  voids 


THE   INCARNATION  63 

were  filled  by  the  Queen  of  all,  and  She  satisfied  for  the 
debt  of  gratitude,  which  we  could  not  or  would  not  pay. 
Through  Her,  divine  equity  was  duly  satisfied,  consider- 
ing Her  as  a  medium  between  itself  and  the  creatures. 
By  her  innocence  and  gratitude  She  became  more  pleasing 
to  his  Majesty  than  all  the  rest  of  the  creatures.  The 
mysterious  advent  of  God  into  the  world  was  thus  being 
prepared:  for  the  last  hindrance  was  removed  by  the 
sanctification  of  Her,  who  was  to  be  his  Mother. 

62.  After  seeing  the  creation  of  all  the  irrational 
creatures.  She  became  aware,  how  the  most  blessed  Trin- 
ity, in  order  to  complete  and  perfect  the  world,  said: 
"Let  us  make  man  to  our  image  and  likeness" 
(Gen.  1,  26),  and  how  by  virtue  of  this  divine  decree  the 
first  man  was  formed  of  the  earth  as  the  first  parent  of  all 
the  rest.  She  had  a  profound  insight  into  the  harmonious 
composition  of  the  human  body  and  soul  and  of  their 
faculties,  of  the  creation  and  infusion  of  the  soul  into 
the  body  and  of  its  intimate  union  with  the  body.  Of  the 
structure  of  the  human  body  and  all  its  parts.  She 
obtained  a  deep  knowledge:  She  was  informed  of  the 
number  of  the  bones,  veins,  arteries,  nerves  and  ligatures ; 
of  the  concourse  of  humors  to  compose  the  befitting 
temperaments,  the  faculties  of  nutrition,  growth  and  loco- 
motion ;  She  learned  in  what  manner  the  disturbances  or 
changes  in  this  harmony  caused  the  sicknesses,  and  how 
these  can  be  cured.  All  this  the  most  prudent  Virgin 
understood  and  comprehended  without  the  least  error, 
better  than  all  the  wise  men  of  the  world  and  better  than 
even  the  angels. 

63.  The  Lord  manifested  to  Her  also  the  happy  state 
of  original  justice,  in  which  He  placed  the  first  parents 
Adam  and  Eve;  She  understood  their  condition,  beauty 
and  perfection  of  innocence  and  grace,  and  for  how  short 


64  CITY    OF    GOD 

a  time  they  persevered  in  it.  She  perceived  how  they 
were  tempted  and  overcome  by  the  astuteness  of  the 
serpent  (Gen.  2,  51),  and  what  were  the  consequences 
of  their  sin ;  and  how  great  were  the  fury  and  hate  of  the 
demon  against  the  human  race.  At  the  vision  of  all 
these  things  our  Queen  made  great  and  heroic  acts  of 
virtue,  highly  pleasing  to  God.  She  understood,  that 
She  was  a  daughter  of  these  first  parents  and  that  She 
descended  from  a  nature  so  thankless  to  its  Creator.  In 
the  remembrance  of  this  She  humiliated  Herself  in  his 
divine  presence,  thereby  wounding  the  heart  of  God  and 
obliging  Him  to  raise  Her  above  all  that  is  created.  She 
took  it  upon  Herself  to  weep  for  the  first  sin  and  for  all 
the  rest,  that  followed  from  it,  as  if  She  Herself  had  been 
guilty  of  them  all.  Hence,  even  at  that  time,  that  first 
sin  might  have  been  called  a  fortunate  fault,  which  caused 
tears  so  precious  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  and  which 
earned  us  such  sureties  and  pledges  of    our  Redemption. 

64.  Rendering  worthy  thanks  to  the  Creator  for  the 
magnificent  work  of  the  creation  of  man,  She  reflected 
deeply  on  his  disobedience,  the  seduction  and  deception 
of  Eve,  and  She  inwardly  resolved  to  yield  that  perpetual 
obedience,  which  these  first  parents  had  refused  to  their 
Creator.  So  acceptable  in  his  eyes  was  this  subjection, 
that  his  Majesty  in  the  presence  of  the  heavenly  courtiers 
decreed  the  immediate  fulfillment  and  execution  of  that, 
which  was  prefigured  in  the  history  of  the  king  Assuerus, 
by  whom  the  queen  Vashti  was  repudiated  and  deprived 
of  royal  dignity  on  account  of  disobedience,  while  the 
humble  and  gracious  Esther  was  raised  to  her  place 
(Esther?,  2). 

65.  There  was  an  admirable  similarity  between  that 
event  and  these  mysteries ;  for  the  exalted  and  true  King, 
in  order  to  show  the  greatness  of  his  powers  and  the 


THE   INCARNATION  65 

treasures  of  his  Divinity,  had  prepared  the  great  banquet 
of  his  creation,  and  having  spread  the  liberal  repast  for 
all  the  creatures,  invited  the  guests,  that  is  the  human 
race,  by  the  creation  of  its  first  parents.  Vashti,  our 
mother  Eve,  disobeyed,  failing  to  submit  herself  to  the 
divine  command,  and  now  amid  the  wonderful  acclama- 
tion and  jubilee  of  the  angels,  the  true  Assuerus  ordered 
the  most  humble  Esther  to  be  on  that  day  elevated  to 
Sovereignty  over  all  creation,  this  Esther  being  none 
other  than  the  most  holy  Mary,  full  of  grace  and  beauty, 
chosen  among  all  the  daughters  of  men  as  their  Restor- 
atrix  and  the  Mother  of  his  Christ. 

66.  In  the  plenitude  of  this  mystery  the  Most  High 
infused  into  the  heart  of  our  Queen  a  new  abhorrence 
of  the  demon,  such  as  filled  Esther  toward  Aman 
(Esther  7,  10)  ;  and  thus  it  happened,  that  She  thrust 
him  from  his  position  of  superiority  and  command  over 
the  world.  She  crushed  the  head  of  his  pride,  hanging 
him  on  the  gallows  of  the  Cross,  where  he  had  hoped  to 
destroy  and  conquer  the  Godman,  but  was  himself  chas- 
tised and  overcome  by  it.  Toward  all  this  the  most  holy 
Mary  was  instrumental,  as  we  shall  relate  in  its  place 
(Vol.  Ill,  653).  Just  as  the  envy  of  the  dragon  against 
the  Woman,  that  is  this  heavenly  Lady,  commenced  in 
heaven,  when  he  saw  Her  clothed  with  the  sun 
(Apoc.  12,  4,  Part  I,  95)  ;  so  this  strife  continued  until 
he  was  deprived  of  his  tyrannous  dominion.  Just  as  the 
most  faithful  Mardocheus  was  given  the  position  of  the 
proud  Aman  (Esther  6,  10)  ;  so  also  was  honored  the 
most  chaste  and  faithful  Joseph,  who  continually  urged 
Her  to  pray  for  the  liberty  of  her  people.  This  was  the 
constant  subject  of  conversation  between  Joseph  and  his 
most  pure  Spouse;  for  this  very  purpose  was  he  raised 
to  the  summit  of  sanctity,  and  to  the  exalted  dignity  of 


(^  CITY   OF   GOD 

holding  the  sealing  ring  of  the  highest  King 
(Esther  8,  2),  whereby  he  received  authority  to  com- 
mand the  Godman  himself,  as  is  related  in  the  Gospel. 
Having  experienced  all  these  mysteries,  our  Queen  issued 
from  her  vision. 

INSTRUCTION,  WHICH  THE  HEAVENLY  QuEEN   GAVE  ME- 

67.  Wonderful,  my  daughter,  was  the  gift  of  humil- 
ity, which  the  Most  High  conferred  upon  me  in  the  event 
described  by  thee.  And  since  his  Majesty  does  not  reject 
the  prayers  of  those,  that  dispose  themselves  to  receive 
it,  I  desire  that  thou  imitate  me  and  be  my  companion  in 
the  exercise  of  this  virtue.  I  had  no  part  in  the  sin  of 
Adam,  for  I  was  exempted  from  his  disobedience;  but 
because  I  partook  of  his  nature  and  by  it  was  his  daugh- 
ter, I  humiliated  myself  in  my  estimation  to  nothingness. 
In  the  light  of  this  example  then,  how  far  must  those 
humiliate  themselves,  who  not  only  have  had  a  part  in 
the  first  sin,  but  also  have  committed  other  sins  without 
number?  The  aim  and  motive  of  this  humiliation  more- 
over, should  not  be  to  remove  the  punishments  of  those 
sins,  but  to  make  restoration  and  recompense  for  the 
diminution  and  loss  of  honor,  which  was  thereby  occa- 
sioned to  the  Creator  and  Lord. 

68.  If  a  brother  of  thine  should  grievously  offend  thy 
natural  father,  thou  wouldst  not  be  a  loving  and  loyal 
daughter  of  thy  father,  nor  a  true  sister  to  thy  brother, 
if  thou  wouldst  not  grieve  for  the  offense  and  weep  not 
over  his  ruin  as  over  thy  own ;  for  to  the  father  is  due 
reverence  and  to  thy  brother  thou  owest  love  as  to  thy- 
self. Consider  then,  dearest,  and  examine  in  the  proper 
light,  how  much  difference  there  is  between  thy  Father 
who  is  in  heaven  and  thy  natural  father,  and  how  all  of 
you  are  his  children,  bound  together  by  the  strictest 


THE   INCARNATION  67 

obligfation  of  brethren  and  of  servants  of  one  true  Master. 
Just  as  thou  wouldst  shed  tears  of  humiliation  and  con- 
fusion at  some  ignominious  fault  of  thy  natural  brother; 
so  I  wish  that  thou  do  it  for  the  sins,  which  the  mortals 
commit  against  God,  sorrowing  for  them  in  confusion 
as  if  thou  wert  responsible  for  them  thyself.  That  is 
what  I  did  at  the  thought  of  the  disobedience  of  Adam 
and  Eve  and  of  all  the  evils,  which  ensued  therefrom  to 
the  human  race.  And  the  Most  High  was  pleased  with  my 
charitable  interest ;  for  most  agreeable  in  his  sight  are  the 
tears  shed  for  the  sins,  which  are  forgotten  by  those,  that 
have  committed  them. 

69.  At  the  same  time  see  thou  bear  ever  in  mind,  that, 
no  matter  how  great  and  rare  are  the  favors  received 
from  the  Most  High,  thou  do  not  despise  the  danger  of 
sin  nor  contemn  the  solicitous  and  humble  performance 
of  the  ordinary  duties  of  precept  and  charity.  For  these 
do  not  oblige  thee  to  leave  the  presence  of  God:  faith 
teaches  thee,  and  inspiration  should  govern  thee,  to  bear 
Him  with  thee  in  all  occupations  and  places,  quitting  thy- 
self and  thy  inclinations,  but  fulfilling  in  all  things  the 
will  of  thy  Lord  and  Spouse.  Do  not  allow  thyself  to  be 
led  in  these  sentiments  by  the  trend  of  thy  own  inclina- 
tions, nor  by  that  which  seems  to  agree  with  thy  own 
interior  liking  and  taste;  for  many  times  the  greatest 
danger  is  hidden  beneath  this  cloak.  In  such  doubts  and 
hesitations  let  holy  obedience  be  thy  umpire  and  master ; 
through  it  thou  canst  decide  securely,  and  thou  wilt  need 
no  other  criterion  for  thy  actions.  Great  victories  and 
advances  in  merit  are  connected  with  the  true  submission 
of  self  and  subjection  of  our  own  judgments  to  those  of 
others.  Thou  shouldst  never  wish  to  retain  for  thyself 
the  power  to  will  or  not  to  will :  then  thou  shalt  sing  of 
victories  and  overcome  thy  enemies. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE  MOST  HIGH  CELEBRATES  A  NEW  ESPOUSAL  WITH 
THE  PRINCESS  OF  HEAVEN  IN  ORDER  TO  INAUGURATE 
THE  NUPTIALS  OF  THE  INCARNATION.  HE  ADORNS 
HER  FOR  IT. 

70.  Great  are  the  works  of  the  Most  High,  for  all  of 
them  were  and  are  executed  with  the  plenitude  of  knowl- 
edge and  goodness,  ordained  in  equity  and  number 
(Wis.  11,  21).  None  of  them  is  faulty,  useless  or  in- 
effectual, superfluous  or  vain ;  all  are  exquisite  and  mag- 
nificent, finished  and  executed  according  to  the  full  meas- 
ure of  his  holy  will.  Such  He  desired  them  to  be,  in 
order  that  He  might  be  known  and  magnified  in  them. 
But  in  comparison  to  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation,  all 
the  works  of  God  ad  extra,  although  they  are  in  them- 
selves great,  stupendous  and  marvelous,  more  to  be  ad- 
mired than  comprehended,  are  only  a  small  spark,  issuing 
from  the  unfathomable  abyss  of  the  Divinity.  This  great 
sacrament  of  vesting  Himself  in  a  passible  and  mortal 
nature  is  pre-eminently  the  great  work  of  his  infinite 
power  and  wisdom  and  the  one  which  immeasurably  ex- 
cels all  the  other  works  and  wonders  of  his  powerful 
arm.  For  in  this  mystery,  not  merely  a  spark  of  the 
Divinity,  but  that  whole  vast  volcano  of  the  infinite  God- 
head, broke  forth  and  communicated  itself  to  men,  unit- 
ing Itself  by  an  indissoluble  and  eternal  union  to  our 
terrestrial  human  nature. 

71.  If  this  wonderful  sacrament  of  the  King  is  to  be 
measured  only  by  his  own  vastness,  it  follows  that  the 
Woman,  in  whose  womb  He  was  to  become  man,  de- 
served to  be  so  perfectly  adorned  with  the  plenitude  of 

68 


THE   INCARNATION  69 

his  treasures,  that  no  gift  or  grace  within  the  range  of 
possibility  be  omitted,  and  all  these  gifts  be  so  consum- 
mate, that  nothing  is  wanting  to  them.  As  all  this  was 
reasonable  and  altogether  befitting  the  greatness  of 
the  Omnipotent,  He  certainly  fulfilled  it  in  the  most  holy 
Mary,  much  better  than  king  Assuerus  did  with  the 
gracious  Esther  (Esther  2,  9),  when  he  raised  her  to  his 
magnificent  throne.  The  Most  High  visited  our  Queen 
Mary  with  such  great  favors,  privileges  and  gifts,  that 
the  like  was  never  even  conceived  in  the  mind  of  creatures, 
and,  when  She  issued  forth  in  the  presence  of  the  cour- 
tiers of  this  great  King  of  the  eternal  ages  (I  Tim.  1,  17), 
they  recognized  and  exalted  in  Her  the  power  of  God, 
at  the  same  time  understanding,  that  He,  who  chose  to 
select  a  woman  for  his  Mother,  knew  also  how  to  make 
her  worthy  of  assuming  that  position. 

72.  The  seventh  day  of  this  mysterious  preparation 
for  the  approaching  sacrament  arrived,  and  in  the  same 
hour  as  already  mentioned,  the  heavenly  Lady  was  called 
and  elevated  in  spirit,  but  with  this  difference,  that  She 
was  bodily  raised  by  her  holy  angels  to  the  empyrean 
heaven,  while  in  her  stead  one  of  them  remained  to  rep- 
resent Her  in  corporeal  appearance.  Placed  into  this 
highest  heaven.  She  saw  the  Divinity  by  abstract  vision 
as  in  other  days;  but  always  with  new  and  more  pene- 
trating light,  piercing  to  new  and  more  profound  myster- 
ies, which  God  according  to  his  free  will  can  conceal  or 
reveal.  Presently  She  heard  a  voice  proceeding  from 
the  royal  throne,  which  said :  "Our  Spouse  and  chosen 
Dove,  our  gracious  Friend,  who  hast  been  found  pleasing 
in  our  eyes  and  hast  been  chosen  among  thousands :  We 
wish  to  accept  thee  anew  as  our  Bride,  and  therefore  We 
wish  to  adorn  and  beautify  thee  in  a  manner  worthy  of 
our  design." 


70  CITY   OF   GOD 

73.  On  hearing  these  words  the  most  Humble  among 
the  humble  abased  and  annihilated  Herself  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Most  High  more  than  can  be  comprehended 
by  human  power.  Entirely  submissive  to  the  divine  pleas- 
ure and  with  entrancing  modesty,  She  responded:  "At 
thy  feet,  O  Lord,  lies  the  dust  and  abject  worm,  ready 
is  thy  poor  slave  for  the  fulfillment  of  all  thy  pleasure  in 
her.  Make  use,  O  eternal  Good,  of  this  thy  insignificant 
instrument  according  to  thy  desire,  and  dispose  of  it  with 
thy  right  hand."  Presently  the  Most  High  commanded 
two  seraphim,  of  those  nearest  to  his  throne  and  highest 
in  dignity  to  attend  on  this  heavenly  Virgin.  Accom- 
panied by  others,  they  presented  themselves  in  visible 
form  before  the  throne,  and  there  surrounded  the  most 
holy  Mary,  who  was  more  inflamed  with  divine  love  than 
they. 

74.  It  was  a  spectacle  worthy  of  new  wonder  and 
jubilee  for  all  the  angelic  spirits  to  see  in  this  heavenly 
place,  never  touched  by  other  feet,  an  humble  Maiden 
consecrated  as  their  Queen  and  raised  to  the  closest 
proximity  to  God  of  all  the  created  beings;  to  see  that 
Woman,  whom  the  world  ignored  and  held  in  obliv- 
ious contempt,  so  highly  esteemed  and  appreciated 
(Prov.  31,  10) ;  to  see  our  human  nature  in  its  first  fruits 
receiving  the  pledge  of  superiority  over  the  celestial 
choirs  and  already  assuming  its  place  among  them.  O 
what  a  holy  and  just  envy  must  such  a  strange  wonder 
have  caused  in  the  ancient  courtiers  of  that  heavenly 
Jerusalem!  What  thoughts  rose  up  within  them  in  praise 
of  its  Author!  What  sentiments  of  humility  did  it  awaken 
in  them,  subjecting  all  their  high  understandings  to  the 
decrees  of  the  divine  Will !  They  saw  that  He  was  holy 
and  just,  who  exalted  the  humble,  who  favored  human 
lowliness  and  raised  it  above  the  angelic  choirs. 


THE   INCARNATION  71 

75.  While  the  inhabitants  of  heaven  were  lost  in  their 
praiseworthy  admiration,  the  most  blessed  Trinity, 
(according  to  our  imperfect  mode  of  understanding  and 
speaking),  conferred  within  Itself,  how  pleasing  in  its 
sight  was  the  Princess  Mary,  how  perfectly  and  com- 
pletely She  had  corresponded  with  the  blessings  and 
gifts  confided  to  Her,  how  adequately  She  had  augmented 
the  glory  of  the  Lord;  and  how  free  She  was  of  any 
fault,  defect  or  hindrance,  that  might  compromise  the 
dignity  of  her  predestined  Motherhood  of  the  Word. 
Accordingly  the  three  Persons  of  the  Trinity  resolved  to 
raise  this  Creature  to  the  highest  position  of  grace  and 
friendship  of  God,  such  as  no  creature  had  ever  or  would 
ever  attain ;  and  then  and  there  They  gave  to  Her  more 
than  to  all  the  rest  of  creatures  together.  The  most 
blessed  Trinity  was  pleased  and  rejoiced  in  seeing  that 
the  supreme  holiness  of  Mary  was  such  as  had  been  con- 
ceived and  determined  for  Her  in  the  divine  intellect. 

76.  In  correspondence  with  this  holiness,  and  as  a 
completion  of  it,  and  as  a  testimony  of  the  benevolence 
with  which  the  Lord  wished  to  communicate  to  Her  ever 
new  influences  of  his  Divinity,  He  ordained  and  com- 
manded, that  most  holy  Mary  be  visibly  clothed  and 
adorned  with  mysterious  vestments  and  jewels,  which 
should  symbolize  the  interior  graces  and  privileges  of  a 
Queen  and  of  a  heavenly  Spouse.  Although  such  bridal 
adornment  had  already  been  conferred  upon  Her  before 
that  time,  when  She  was  presented  in  the  temple 
(Part  I,  436)  ;  yet  now  this  was  done  under  new  and 
wonderful  conditions;  for  it  was  to  serve  as  the  imme- 
diate preparation  for  the  miracle  of  the  Incarnation. 

77.  Presently  therefore,  upon  the  command  of  the 
Lord  the  two  seraphim  clothed  most  holy  Mary  with  a 
tunic  or  ample  robe,  which,  as  a  symbol  of  her  purity  and 


72  CITY   OF   GOD 

grace,  was  so  exquisitely  white  and  resplendent,  that  if 
one  single  ray  of  the  light  so  profusely  emitted  by  it 
would  flash  into  the  world,  it  would  by  itself  give  more 
refulgence  than  all  the  stars  combined,  even  if  they  were 
all  suns;  and  in  comparison  with  it,  all  the  light,  which 
is  known  to  us,  would  appear  as  darkness.  While  the 
seraphim  vested  Her,  the  Most  High  gave  Her  a  pro- 
found understanding  of  the  obligation  entailed  thereby: 
namely,  that  She  must  make  a  befitting  return  to  his 
Majesty,  by  proportioning  her  faithful  love  and  the  ex- 
alted perfection  of  her  actions  to  that,  which  She  had 
now  learnt.  Nevertheless,  the  purpose,  for  which  the 
Lord  intended  these  blessings,  that  is  his  Incarnation 
through  Her,  continued  to  be  hidden  to  her  mind.  All 
the  rest  of  the  mysteries  our  Lady  understood  and  for 
all  of  them  She  humiliated  Herself  with  ineffable  pru- 
ence,  and  She  asked  the  divine  assistance  for  corre- 
sponding to  these  favors  and  blessings. 

78.  Over  this  robe  the  same  seraphim  placed  a  girdle, 
as  a  symbol  of  the  holy  fear,  which  was  infused  into  Her. 
It  was  very  rich,  with  jewels  of  extreme  refulgence  and 
beauty.  At  the  same  time  the  fountain  of  light  bursting 
forth  from  the  Divinity  enlightened  and  illumined  the 
heavenly  Princess,  so  that  She  understood  the  exalted 
reasons,  why  God  should  be  feared  by  all  the  creatures. 
With  this  gift  of  fear  of  the  Lord  She  was  appropriately 
girded,  as  befitted  a  Creature,  who  was  to  treat  and  con- 
verse so  familiarly  with  her  Creator  as  his  Mother. 

79.  Presently  She  perceived,  that  the  seraphim 
adorned  Her  with  most  beautiful  and  abundant  hair, 
held  together  by  a  rich  clasp,  more  brilliant  than  pure 
and  polished  gold.  She  understood,  that  in  this  em- 
bellishment was  conceded  to  Her  the  privilege  of 
spending  her  whole  life  in  exalted  and  divine  thoughts, 


THE   INCARNATION  73 

inflamed  by  the  subtlest  charity  as  signified  by  the  gold. 
In  connection  with  this  privilege  She  was  established 
anew  in  the  habits  of  unclouded  wisdom  and  science, 
exquisitely  binding"  up  the  hair  of  exalted  thoughts  by  an 
ineffable  participation  in  the  wisdom  and  science  of  God 
himself.  Sandals  or  shoes  were  also  given  to  Her,  to 
indicate,  that  all  her  steps  and  movements  would  be  most 
beauteous  (Cant.  7,1),  tending  always  to  the  high  and 
holy  aim  of  the  greater  glory  of  the  Most  High.  And 
these  shoes  were  laced  with  the  especial  grace  of  anxious 
diligence  in  doing  good  both  before  God  and  man 
(Luke  1,  39),  as  it  happened  when  She  hastened  to 
visit  saint  Elisabeth  and  saint  John;  and  thus  this 
Daughter  of  the  Prince  issued  most  beautiful  in  her 
footsteps  (Cant.  7,1). 

80.  Her  arms  were  adorned  with  bracelets,  filling  Her 
with  magnanimity  for  undertaking  great  works  in  par- 
ticipation of  the  divine  magnificence;  and  thus  She 
always  extended  them  toward  courageous  deeds 
(Prov.  31,  19),  Her  fingers  were  embellished  by  rings, 
in  order  that  in  smaller  or  more  inferior  matters  She 
might  act  in  a  superior  manner,  exalted  in  aim  and  pur- 
pose and  in  all  respect  making  her  doings  grand  and 
admirable.  To  this  they  added  a  necklace,  set  with  in- 
estimable and  brilliant  jewels  and  containing  symbols 
of  the  three  most  excellent  virtues  of  faith,  hope  and 
charity  in  correspondence  with  the  three  divine  Persons. 
Conjointly  with  this  gift  they  renewed  in  Her  the  habits 
of  these  most  noble  virtues,  which  She  would  especially 
need  in  the  mysteries  of  the  Incarnation  and  Redemption. 

81.  In  her  ears  they  hung  earrings  of  gold,  filigreed 
with  silver  (Cant.  1,  10),  thus  preparing  her  ears  for 
the  message,  which  She  was  shortly  to  hear  from  the  arch- 
angel Gabriel,  and  at  the  same  time  they  furnished  Her 


74  CITY   OF   GOD 

with  knowledge  in  order  that  She  might  listen  attentively 
and  give  discreet  and  acceptable  answers  to  the  divine 
proposals.  Thus  would  the  pure  silver  of  her  innocence 
resound  in  the  ears  of  the  Lord  and  re-echo,  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Divinity,  those  charming  and  sacred  words :  "Fiat 
mihi  secundum  verbum  tuum."  "Be  it  done  to  me  ac- 
cording to  thy  word"  (Luke  1,  38). 

82,  Then  they  spread  over  her  garment  inscriptions, 
which  at  the  same  time  served  as  embroidery  or  borders 
of  the  finest  colors  mixed  with  gold.  Some  of  them  bore 
the  legend:  "Mary,  Mother  of  God;"  others:  "Mary, 
Virgin  and  Mother."  But  these  inscriptions  were  not 
intelligible  to  Her,  nor  were  they  explained  to  Her,  but 
their  meaning  was  known  to  the  holy  angels.  The  differ- 
ent colors  symbolized  the  habits  of  all  the  virtues  in  the 
most  excellent  degree  and  their  active  exercise,  surpassing 
all  that  was  ever  practiced  by  the  rest  of  the  intellectual 
creatures.  And  as  a  complement  of  all  this  beauty,  they 
furnished  Her  as  if  with  lotions  for  her  face,  by  illumi- 
nating Her  with  the  light  drawn  from  the  proximity  and 
participation  of  the  inexhaustible  Being  and  perfection 
of  God  himself.  For  as  She  was  destined  actually  and 
truly  to  shelter  within  Her  virginal  womb  the  infinite 
perfection  of  God,  it  was  befitting,  that  She  should  have 
received  it  beforehand  by  grace  in  the  highest  measure 
possible  to  a  mere  creature. 

83.  In  this  adornment  and  beauty  our  Princess  Mary 
stood  before  the  Lord  so  beautiful  and  charming,  that 
even  the  supreme  King  could  desire  Her  as  Spouse 
(Ps.  44,  12).  I  do  not  detain  myself  here  in  repeating 
what  I  have  already  said,  what  I  will  yet  say  in  this 
history  about  her  virtues ;  I  only  say  that  this  adornment 
was  accompanied  by  new  features  and  effects  altogether 
divine.    All  this  was  proper  to  the  infinite  power  and  to- 


THE  INCARNATION  75 

its  immense  perfection  and  sanctity,  which  offer  to  our 
comprehension  ever  new  fields  of  speculation.  And  when 
there  is  question  of  this  ocean  of  perfection  in  most  holy 
Mary,  we  certainly  can  hope  only  to  skirt  its  shores.  My 
understanding  of  that  which  I  perceive,  is  always  preg- 
nant with  vast  fields  of  thought,  on  which  I  cannot 
expatiate. 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH  THE  MOST  HOLY  QUEEN  MARY 
GAVE   ME. 

84.  My  daughter,  the  work-shops  and  treasure-rooms 
of  the  Most  High  are  those  of  a  divine  Lord  and  omnip- 
otent King,  and  therefore  without  number  or  limit  are 
the  riches  and  treasures  which  they  contain  for  the  en- 
dowment of  his  chosen  brides.  He  can  enrich  innumer- 
able others  just  as  He  has  enriched  my  soul,  and  yet 
infinitely  more  will  remain.  Although  He  will  give  to  no 
creature  as  much  as  He  has  conferred  upon  me,  it  is  not 
because  He  is  not  able  or  does  not  wish,  but  because  no 
one  will  dispose  himself  for  his  grace  as  I  did.  But  the 
Almighty  is  most  liberal  with  some  souls  and  enriches 
them  so  munificently,  because  they  impede  his  gifts  less, 
and  dispose  themselves  better  than  others. 

85.  I  desire,  my  most  beloved,  that  thou  place  no  ob- 
stacle to  the  love  of  thy  Lord ;  but  I  wish,  that  thou 
dispose  thyself  for  the  jewels  and  gifts,  intended  for  thee 
in  order  to  make  thee  worthy  of  his  bridal  chamber. 
Remember  that  all  the  just  souls  receive  this  adornment 
from  his  hands,  though  each  one  according  to  the  degree 
of  the  friendship  and  grace,  which  makes  them  capable  of 
receiving  them.  If  thou  wishest  to  attain  the  highest 
purity  of  that  perfection  and  become  worthy  of  standing 
in  the  presence  of  thy  Lord  and  Spouse,  strive  to  be 


7e  CITY   OF   GOD 

robust  and  strong  in  love ;  and  thou  knowest,  that  this  is 
augmented  in  the  same  degree,  as  mortification  and  self- 
abnegation  are  practiced.  Thou  must  deny  thyself  and 
forget  all  earthly  things;  thou  must  expel  all  thy  mean- 
ings toward  thyself  and  toward  visible  things,  in  the 
divine  love  solely  thou  must  increase  and  advance.  Wash 
and  purify  thyself  in  the  blood  of  thy  Redeemer,  Christ, 
and  apply  this  cleansing  many  times  by  renewing  thy 
loving  sorrow  for  thy  sins.  Thereby  wilt  thou  find  grace 
in  his  eyes  and  thy  beauty  will  be  desired  by  Him,  and  all 
thy  adornments  will  be  full  of  the  greatest  perfection  and 
purity. 

86.  And  as  thou  hast  been  so  highly  favored  and  dis- 
tinguished by  the  blessings  of  the  Lord,  it  is  just  that 
thou,  more  than  many  generations  of  men,  give  thanks 
and  with  incessant  praises  magnify  Him  for  what,  He 
has  condescended  to  do  for  thee.  If  this  vice  of  ingrati- 
tude is  so  vile  and  reprehensible  in  the  creatures,  who  owe 
Him  little  and  in  their  earthliness  and  coarseness,  forget 
the  benefits  of  the  Lord ;  greater  will  thy  guilt  be  in  fall- 
ing short  of  thy  obligations.  And  do  not  deceive  thyself 
with  the  pretext  of  being  humble;  for  there  is  a  great 
difference  between  thankful  humility  and  humble  thank- 
lessness.  Remember  that  the  Lord  very  often  shows 
great  favors  to  the  unworthy,  in  order  to  manifest  his 
goodness  and  munificence.  On  the  contrary  let  no  one 
become  inflated,  but  let  every  one  acknowledge  so  much 
the  more  his  unworthiness,  using  it  as  a  medicine  and 
treacle  against  the  poison  of  presumption.  But  gratitude 
will  agree  with  this  humble  opinion  of  self,  since  we  must 
acknowledge,  that  every  good  gift  comes  from  the  Father 
of  lights  and  cannot  ever  be  merited  by  creatures 
(James  1,  17).  All  have  their  source  only  in  his  good- 
ness, binding  us  and  obliging  us  to  grateful  recognition. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

OUR  GREAT  QUEEN,  IN  THE  PRESENCE  OE  THE  IX)RD, 
PUEADS  FOR  THE  HASTENING  OF  THE  INCARNATION 
AND  OF  THE  REDEMPTION  OF  MAN,  AND  HIS  MAJESTY 
YIELDS  TO  HER  PRAYER. 

87.  The  heavenly  Princess,  most  holy  Mary,  had  now 
attained  such  fullness  of  grace  and  beauty  and  the  heart 
of  God  was  so  wounded  by  her  tender  affections  and 
desires  (Cant.  4,  9),  that  He  was  so  to  say  irresistibly 
drawn  to  begin  his  flight  from  the  bosom  of  the  eternal 
Father  to  the  bridal-chamber  of  her  virginal  womb  and 
end  the  long  delay  of  more  than  five  thousand  years. 
Nevertheless,  since  this  new  wonder  was  to  be  executed  in 
the  plenitude  of  his  wisdom  and  equity,  the  Lord  arranged 
this  event  in  such  a  way,  that  the  Princess  of  the  heavens 
Herself,  being  the  worthy  Mother  of  the  incarnate  Word, 
should  at  the  same  time  be  also  the  most  powerful  Media- 
trix of  his  coming  and  the  Redeemer  of  his  people  much 
more  than  Esther  was  of  Israel  (Esther  ch.  7  and  8). 
In  the  heart  of  most  holy  Mary  burned  the  flame,  which 
God  himself  had  enkindled,  and  without  intermission  She 
prayed  for  the  salvation  of  the  human  race.  However, 
as  yet  the  most  humble  Lady  restrained  Herself  in 
modesty,  knowing  that  on  account  of  the  sin  of  Adam, 
the  sentence  of  death  and  of  eternal  privation  from  the 
vision  of  God  had  been  promulgated  (Gen.  3,  19), 

88.  A  heavenly  strife  thus  arose  in  the  most  pure  heart 
of  Mary  between  her  love  and  her  humility,  and,  lost  in 
these  sentiments,  She  repeated  many  times:  "Oh  who 
shall  be  able  to  secure  the  salvation  of  my  brethren !  Oh 
who  shall  be  able  to  draw  from  the  bosom  of  the  eternal 

2-7  77 


78  CITY   OF   GOD 

Father  his  Onlybegotten  and  make  Him  a  partaker  of  our 
mortahty!  Oh  who  shall  oblige  Him  to  give  to  our 
human  nature  the  kiss  of  his  mouth,  for  which  the  bride 
asks  Him!  (Cant.  1,  1).  But  how  can  we,  the  children 
and  descendants  of  the  malefactor,  who  committed  the 
crime,  ask  for  this  favor?  How  can  we  draw  Him 
toward  us,  whom  our  fathers  repelled?  Oh  my  Love,  if 
I  could  but  see  Thee  at  the  breasts  of  thy  Mother,  the 
human  nature!  (Cant  8,  1).  Oh  Light  of  lights,  God 
of  the  true  God,  would  that  Thou  descend,  bending  down 
thy  heavens  (Ps.  143,  5)  and  shedding  thy  light  upon 
those  that  live  sitting  in  darkness !  ( Is.  9,  2  ) .  Would  that 
Thou  pacify  thy  Father,  and,  by  thy  right  hand  that  is 
by  his  Onlybegotten,  hurl  the  proud  Aman,  thy  enemy, 
the  devil,  from  his  height !  Who  shall  be  the  Mediatrix, 
who  shall  draw  from  the  celestial  altar,  as  with  tongs 
of  gold  (Is.  6,  6),  that  ember  of  the  Divinity,  for  the 
purification  of  the  world,  as  once  did  the  seraphim,  ac- 
cording to  the  word  of  the  prophet  Isaias!" 

89.  This  prayer  most  holy  Mary  repeated  during  the 
eighth  day  of  her  preparation,  and  at  midnight,  being 
wrapped  and  entranced  in  the  Lord,  She  heard  his 
Majesty  responding  to  Her :  "My  Spouse  and  my  Dove, 
come,  my  Chosen  one,  for  the  common  law  does  not 
apply  to  thee  (Esther  15,  13).  Thou  art  exempt  from 
sin  and  thou  art  free  from  its  effects  since  the  moment 
of  thy  Conception.  When  I  gave  being  to  thee,  I  turned 
away  from  thee  the  sceptre  of  my  justice  and  laid  upon 
thy  neck  that  of  my  great  clemency,  in  order  that  the 
general  edict  of  sin  might  not  touch  thee.  Come  to  Me, 
and  be  not  dismayed  in  the  consciousness  of  thy  human 
nature;  I  am  He,  that  raises  the  humble,  and  fills  with 
riches  those  that  are  poor.  Thou  hast  Me  for  thy  Friend 
and  my  liberal  mercies  shall  be  at  thy  disposal." 


THE   INCARNATION  79 

90.  These  words  our  Queen  heard  intellectually  and, 
as  in  the  preceding  night,  She  presently  felt  Herself 
raised  by  the  holy  angels  bodily  to  heaven,  while  in  her 
stead  remained  one  of  the  angels  of  her  guard.  Again 
She  ascended  to  the  presence  of  the  Most  High,  so  en- 
riched by  the  treasures  of  his  graces  and  gifts,  so  fortu- 
nate and  beautiful,  that  She  singularly  excited  the  wonder 
of  the  supernal  spirits.  They  broke  out  in  praise  of  the 
Almighty,  saying:  "Who  is  this,  that  ascends  from  the 
desert,  overflowing  with  delights?  (Cant.  8,  5).  Who  is 
She,  that  so  attracts  and  compels  her  Beloved  as  to  bear 
Him  with  Her  to  the  earthly  habitation?  Who  is  She, 
that  rises  as  the  dawn,  more  beautiful  than  the  moon, 
chosen  as  the  sun?  (Cant.  6,  9).  How  refulgent  doth 
She  rise  from  the  darkness  of  the  earth?  How  is  She 
so  courageous  and  strong,  being  clothed  in  such  fragile 
nature?  How  does  She  in  her  strength  overcome  the 
Almighty?  And  how  comes  it  that  the  heavens,  which 
are  closed  against  the  children  of  Adam,  are  thus  thrown 
open  to  this  singular  Woman,  sprung  from  the  same 
race?" 

91.  The  Most  High  received  his  holy  and  chosen 
Bride,  most  holy  Mary,  into  his  presence.  Although  this 
happened  not  in  an  intuitive,  but  in  an  abstractive 
vision  of  the  Divinity,  it  was  accompanied  with  incom- 
parable favors  of  light  and  purification  proceeding  from 
the  Lord  himself,  such  as  were  specially  reserved  for  this 
day.  For  they  were  so  divine,  that,  in  our  way  of  speak- 
ing, God  himself  who  wrought  them,  was  astonished  and 
was  charmed  with  the  work  of  his  hand.  As  if  entranced 
with  love,  He  spoke  to  Her  and  said:  "Revertere, 
revertere,  Sulamitis,  ut  intueamur  te"  (Return,  return,  O 
Sulamitess,  that  We  may  behold  thee).  "My  Spouse,  my 
most  perfect  and  beloved  Dove,  pleasing  in  my  sight, 


80  CITY   OF   GOD 

turn  and  advance  toward  Us,  that  We  may  behold  thee 
and  be  charmed  by  thy  beauty.  I  do  not  regret  to  have 
created  man  and  I  delight  in  his  formation,  since  thou 
hast  been  born  of  him.  Let  my  celestial  spirits  see  how 
justly  I  have  desired  and  do  desire  to  choose  thee  as  my 
Spouse  and  the  Queen  of  all  the  creatures.  Let  them 
see  what  good  reason  I  have  to  rejoice  in  this  my  bridal 
chamber,  from  whence  my  Onlybegotten,  next  to  that  of 
my  own  bosom,  shall  derive  the  greatest  glory.  Let  all 
understand,  that  if  I  justly  repudiated  Eve,  the  first  queen 
of  the  earth,  on  account  of  her  disobedience,  I  now  place 
thee  and  establish  thee  in  the  highest  dignity,  showing  my 
magnificence  and  power  in  dealing  with  thy  purest 
humility  and  self-abasement." 

92.  This  day  was  for  the  angels  a  day  of  jubilation 
and  rejoicing  greater  than  any  since  their  creation.  And 
when  the  most  blessed  Trinity  thus  chose  and  appointed 
his  Spouse  and  Mother  of  the  Word  for  the  Queen  and 
Lady  of  the  creatures,  the  holy  angels  and  all  the  celes- 
tial court  of  Spirits  acknowledged  and  received  Her  as 
their  Mistress  and  Superior,  and  they  sung  sweet  hymns 
of  glory  in  her  honor  and  in  praise  of  her  Author.  Dur- 
ing these  hidden  and  admirable  mysteries  the  heavenly 
Queen  Mary  was  absorbed  in  the  abyss  of  the  Divinity 
and  in  the  light  of  his  infinite  perfections:  and  thereby 
the  Lord  prevented  Her  from  attending  to  all  that  hap- 
pened. Thus  the  sacrament  of  her  Mothership  of  the 
Onlybegotten  still  remained  hidden  to  Her  until  the 
proper  time.  Never  did  the  Lord  deal  in  such  a  manner 
with  any  nation  (Ps.  147,  20),  nor  did  He  ever  show 
Himself  so  great  and  powerful  in  any  creature,  as  on 
this  day  in  most  holy  Mary. 

93.  The  Most  High  added  yet  other  favors,  saying  to 
Her  with  extreme  condescension :     "My  chosen  Spouse, 


THE   INCARNATION  81 

since  Thou  hast  found  grace  in  my  eyes,  ask  of  Me  with- 
out restraint,  what  thou  desirest,  and  I  assure  thee,  as 
the  most  faithful  God  and  powerful  King",  that  I  shall 
not  reject  thy  petitions  nor  deny  thee  what  thou  askest." 
Our  great  Princess  humiliated  Herself  profoundly  and 
relying  on  the  promise  and  royal  word  of  the  Lord,  and 
inspired  with  highest  confidence.  She  answered  saying: 
"My  Lord  and  highest  God,  if  I  have  found  grace  in  thy 
eyes  (Gen.  18,  3,  27),  although  I  am  dust  and  ashes,  I 
will  speak  in  thy  divine  presence  and  pour  out  to  Thee 
my  heart"  (Ps.  61,  9).  Again  his  Majesty  assured  Her 
and  commanded  Her  to  ask  in  the  presence  of  all  the 
heavenly  court,  for  whatever  She  desired,  even  if  it  were 
a  part  of  his  kingdom  (Esther  5,  3).  "I  do  not  ask,  O 
Lord,  for  a  part  of  thy  kingdom  in  my  own  behalf," 
answered  most  holy  Mary,  "but  I  ask  for  the  whole  of 
it  for  all  the  race  of  men,  who  are  my  brothers.  I  be- 
seech Thee,  highest  and  powerful  King,  that  according 
to  thy  immense  kindness  Thou  send  us  thy  Onlybegotten 
our  Redeemer,  in  order  that  He  may  satisfy  for  the  sins 
of  all  the  world,  that  thy  people  may  gain  the  freedom 
so  much  desired,  and  that,  through  the  satisfaction  thus 
rendered  to  thy  justice,  peace  may  be  declared  among 
men  upon  (Ezech.  34,  25)  earth,  and  that  the  portals  of 
heaven,  closed  by  sin,  may  be  thrown  open  for  its  in- 
habitants. Let  all  flesh  see  thy  salvation  (Is.  52,  10)  ; 
let  peace  and  justice  give  each  other  that  close  embrace 
and  the  kiss,  which  David  asked  for  (Ps.  84,  11)  ;  let  us 
mortals  possess  a  Teacher,  a  Guide  and  a  Savior 
(Is.  30,  20),  a  Chief,  who  shall  live  and  dwell  with  us 
(Baruch.  3,  38).  Let  the  day  of  thy  promises  dawn  upon 
us,  O  my  God,  let  thy  words  be  fulfilled,  and  let  the 
Messias,  expected  for  so  many  ages,  arrive.  These  are 
my  anxious  desires,  and  for  this  do  I  breathe  forth  my 


82  CITY   OF   GOD 

sighs,  since  Thou  showest  to  me  the  condescension  of  thy 
infinite  clemency." 

94.  The  highest  Lord,  who  wished  to  bind  Himself 
by  her  prayer,  disposed  and  incited  the  petitions  of  his 
beloved  Spouse;  benignly  He  inclined  toward  Her  and 
answered  Her  with  singular  clemency :  "Pleasing  to  my 
Will  are  thy  requests,  and  acceptable  are  thy  petitions : 
it  shall  be  done  as  thou  askest.  I  desire,  my  Daughter 
and  Spouse,  what  thou  seekest;  and  as  a  pledge  of  this, 
I  give  thee  my  word  and  promise  thee,  that  very  shortly 
my  Onlybegotten  shall  descend  to  the  earth  and  shall  vest 
Himself  and  unite  Himself  with  the  human  nature.  Thus 
thy  acceptable  wishes  shall  be  executed  and  fulfilled." 

95.  With  this  assurance  and  divine  promise  our  great 
Queen  Princess  felt  new  enlightenment  and  security  in 
her  spirit,  convincing  Her,  that  the  end  of  that  long  pro- 
tracted and  prolix  night  of  sin  and  of  the  ancient  Law 
was  approaching  and  that  the  brightness  of  human  Re- 
demption was  about  to  dawn.  And  because  the  rays  of 
the  Sun  of  Justice,  whose  dawn  was  soon  to  arise  from 
Her,  so  closely  and  so  intensely  enveloped  Her  about. 
She  became  Herself  the  most  beautiful  aurora,  inflamed 
and  refulgent  as  it  were  with  the  fiery  clouds  of  the 
Divinity,  which  transformed  all  things  within  Her.  All 
afire  with  love  and  gratitude  for  the  approaching  Re- 
demption, She  gave  unceasing  praise  to  the  Lord  both 
in  her  own  name  and  in  that  of  all  the  mortals.  In  this 
occupation  She  passed  that  day,  after  the  angels  had  again 
restored  Her  to  the  earth. 1  must  grieve  at  my  igno- 
rance and  shortcomings  in  explaining  these  so  exalted 
mysteries;  and  if  learned  men  and  great  students  can- 
not give  an  adequate  explanation  of  these  things,  how 
shall  it  be  given  by  a  poor  and  lowly  woman  ?  May  my 
ignorance  be   supplemented  by  the  light  of  Christian 


THE   INCARNATION  83 

charity    and    my    presumption    be    atoned    for    by    my 
obedience. 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH  MOST  HOLY  MARY,  THE  QUEEN, 
GAVE    ME. 

96.  My  dearest  daughter,  how  far  removed  is  worldly 
wisdom  from  the  admirable  operations  of  the  divine 
power  in  these  sacraments  of  the  Incarnation  of  the 
divine  Word  in  my  womb!  Flesh  and  blood  cannot  reach 
them,  and  not  the  angels  and  seraphim,  though  they  be 
of  the  highest;  nor  can  they  know  mysteries  so  deeply 
hidden  and  so  far  above  the  ordinary  course  of  grace. 
Praise  thou,  my  beloved,  the  Lord  for  them  with  inces- 
sant love  and  thankfulness.  Be  thou  not  any  longer 
slow  in  understanding  the  greatness  of  his  divine  love 
and  his  readiness  to  benefit  his  friends  and  dear  ones, 
whom  He  desires  to  elevate  from  the  dust  and  enrich 
in  diverse  manners.  As  soon  as  thou  hast  penetrated 
into  this  truth,  it  will  oblige  thee  to  thank  Him  and  incite 
thee  to  undertake  the  great  things,  that  become  a  most 
faithful  daughter  and  spouse. 

97.  And  in  order  that  thou  mayest  dispose  thyself  and 
be  inspired  so  much  the  more,  I  remind  thee,  that  the 
Lord  often  says  these  same  words  to  his  chosen  ones : 
"Revertere,  revertere,  ut  intueamur  te."  For  He  de- 
rives just  as  great  pleasure  from  their  deeds,  as  when 
a  father  rejoices  in  his  beloved  and  well-behaved  son, 
whom  he  looks  upon  many  times  with  great  affection; 
or  as  an  artist,  when  he  beholds  with  pride  the  perfect 
works  of  his  hands;  or  as  a  king,  who  inspects  the  rich 
city,  which  he  has  added  to  his  dominions;  or  as  one, 
who  is  pleased  with  his  much  beloved  friend.  There  is 
only  this  difference:  the  Most  High  finds  incomparably 
more  delight  than  all  these  in  the  souls,  which  He  has 


84  CITY   OF   GOD 

chosen  for  his  blessings;  and  in  proportion  as  they  dis- 
pose themselves  and  advance  in  virtue,  the  Lord  also 
multiplies  his  favors  and  benefits.  If  the  mortals,  that 
attain  to  the  light  of  faith,  would  enter  into  this  truth, 
they  would,  merely  on  account  of  this  complacence  of 
the  Almighty  in  their  good  deeds,  not  only  preserve 
themselves  from  sin,  but  they  would  zealously  engage 
in  great  works  until  death  and  eagerly  show  their  loving 
servitude  to  Him,  who  is  so  liberal  in  rewarding,  and 
so  generous  in  his  favors. 

98.  When,  on  this  eighth  day  which  thou  hast  de- 
scribed, the  Lord  in  heaven  spoke  to  me  these  words: 
"Revertere,  revertere,"  asking  me  to  turn  toward  Him 
and  allow  the  celestial  spirits  to  look  upon  me;  I  was 
made  aware,  that  the  pleasure,  which  his  divine  Majesty 
derived  in  beholding  me,  by  itself  exceeded  all  the  de- 
light and  complacency,  which  He  ever  derived  from  all 
the  most  saintly  souls  in  the  height  of  their  sanctity.  In 
his  gracious  condescension  He  was  more  pleased  in  me 
than  in  all  the  Apostles,  Martyrs,  Confessors,  Virgins 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  saints.  And  this  pleasure  and 
complacency  of  the  Most  High  overflowed  and  enriched 
my  spirit  with  such  an  influx  of  grace  and  participation 
of  the  Divinity,  that  thou  canst  neither  understand  nor 
explain  it  as  long  as  thou  art  in  the  mortal  flesh.  But 
I  tell  thee  of  this  hidden  mystery,  in  order  that  thou 
mayest  bless  its  Author,  and  that,  while  yet  thy  exile  from 
the  fatherland  continues,  thou  dispose  and  exert  thyself 
in  my  place  and  name  to  extend  and  reach  out  thy  hands 
to  great  things  (Pro v.  31,  19).  Give  to  the  Lord  the 
satisfaction  expected  of  thee,  and  strive  after  it,  thus 
earning  his  blessings  and  soliciting  them  for  thyself  and 
thy  neighbor  with  perfect  charity. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
The  most  high  renews  all  his  favors  and  benefits 

IN  the  most  holy  MARY  AND,  AS  THE  ULTIMATE 
PREPARATION  FOR  THE  INCARNATION,  MAKES  HER 
sovereign   and  queen  of  all  the  UNIVERSE. 

99.  On  the  last  day  of  the  novena  of  immediate 
preparation  of  the  tabernacle  (Ps.  45,  5),  which  He  was 
to  sanctify  by  his  coming,  the  Most  High  resolved  to 
renew  his  wonders  and  multiply  his  tokens  of  love,  re- 
peating the  favors  and  benefits  which  up  to  this  day  He 
had  conferred  upon  the  Princess  Mary.  But  the  Al- 
mighty chose  to  work  in  such  a  way,  that  in  drawing 
forth  from  his  infinite  treasures  his  gifts  of  old,  He  al- 
ways added  thereto  such  as  were  new.  All  of  these  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  wonders  were  appropriate  to  the  end  He 
had  in  view :  lowering  his  Divinity  to  the  human  nature 
and  raising  a  woman  to  the  dignity  of  Mother  of  God. 
In  descending  to  the  lowliness  of  man's  estate,  God 
neither  could,  nor  needed  to  change  his  essence:  for, 
remaining  immutable  in  Himself,  He  could  unite  his 
Person  to  our  nature;  but  an  earthly  woman,  in  ascend- 
ing to  such  an  excellence  that  God  should  unite  with 
Her  and  become  man  of  her  substance,  apparently  must 
traverse  an  infinite  space  and  be  raised  so  far  above  other 
creatures,  as  to  approach  God's  infinite  being  itself. 

100.  The  day  had  then  arrived,  in  which  most  holy 
Mary  was  to  reach  the  last  stage  and  be  placed  so  close 
to  God,  as  to  become  his  Mother.  In  that  night,  at  the 
hour  of  greatest  silence.  She  was  ag^in  called  by  the 

85 


86  CITY   OF   GOD 

same  Lord  as  it  had  happened  on  the  other  days.  The 
humble  and  prudent  Queen  responded :  "My  heart  is 
prepared  (Ps.  107,  2),  my  Lord  and  exalted  Sovereign: 
let  thy  divine  pleasure  be  fulfilled  in  me."  Immediately 
She  was,  as  on  the  preceding  day,  borne  body  and  soul 
by  the  hands  of  her  angels  to  the  empyrean  and  placed 
in  the  presence  of  the  royal  throne  of  the  Most  High; 
and  his  divine  Majesty  raised  Her  up  and  seated  Her 
at  his  side,  assigning  to  Her  the  position  and  throne, 
which  She  was  to  occupy  forever  in  his  presence.  Next 
to  the  one  reserved  for  the  incarnate  Word,  it  was  the 
highest  and  the  most  proximate  to  God  himself;  for  it 
excelled  incomparably  that  of  any  of  the  other  blessed, 
and  that  of  all  of  them  together. 

lOL  From  this  position  She  saw  the  Divinity  by  an 
abstractive  vision,  as  at  other  times,  and  his  Majesty, 
hiding  from  Her  the  dignity  of  Mother  of  God,  mani- 
fested to  Her  such  unusual  and  such  high  sacraments, 
that  on  account  of  their  sublimity  and  my  insignificant 
capacities,  I  cannot  describe  them.  Again  She  saw  in 
the  Divinity  all  things  created  and  many  other  possible 
and  future  ones.  The  corporeal  things  God  manifested 
and  made  known  to  Her  by  corporeal  and  sensible  images, 
as  if  they  had  been  presented  to  her  ocular  vision.  The 
fabric  of  the  universe,  which  before  this  She  had  known 
in  parts,  now  appeared  to  Her  in  its  entirety,  distinctly 
pictured  as  upon  canvas,  with  all  the  creatures  contained 
therein.  She  saw  the  harmony,  order,  connection  and 
dependence  of  each  toward  each,  and  of  the  divine  will, 
which  had  created  them,  governs  and  preserves  them, 
each  in  its  place  and  mode  of  existence.  Again  She 
saw  all  the  heavens  and  the  stars,  the  elements,  and 
those  that  lived  in  them,  purgatory,  limbo,  hell  and  all 
the  occupants  of  these  caverns.     Just  as  the  position  of 


THE    INCARNATION  87 

the  Queen  of  creation  was  above  all  creatures  and  in- 
ferior only  to  that  of  God,  so  also  the  knowledge  given 
to  Her  was  superior  to  that  of  all  created  things  being 
inferior  only  to  that  of  the  Lord. 

102.  While  thus  the  heavenly  Lady  was  lost  in  ad- 
miration of  what  the  Almighty  showed  to  Her,  and  was 
wrapped  in  praise  and  exaltation  of  the  Lord,  his  Ma- 
jesty spoke  to  Her  and  said :  "My  chosen  Dove,  all  the 
visible  creatures,  which  thou  beholdest,  I  have  created 
and  preserved  in  all  their  variety  and  beauty  by  my 
Providence,  solely  for  the  love  of  men.  And  from  all 
the  souls,  which  I  have  until  now  created  and  which 
are  predestined  to  be  created  unto  the  end,  I  shall  choose 
and  select  the  congregation  of  the  faithful,  who  shall  be 
set  apart  and  washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  in  the 
Redemption  of  the  world.  They  shall  be  the  special  fruit 
of  his  Redemption,  and  they  shall  enjoy  its  blessings 
through  the  new  law  of  grace  and  the  sacraments  to  be 
instituted  by  the  Redeemer;  and  afterwards  those  that 
persevere  shall  partake  of  my  eternal  glory  and  friend- 
ship. For  these  chosen  ones  I  have  primarily  created 
these  wonderful  works!  and  if  all  of  them  would  strive 
to  serve  Me,  adore  and  acknowledge  my  holy  name;  as 
far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  would  for  each  and  every  one  of 
them  create  these  great  treasures  and  assign  all  over  to 
them  as  their  possession. 

103.  "And  if  I  had  created  only  one  being  capable  of 
my  grace  and  glory,  I  would  have  made  it  the  lord  and 
master  of  all  creation ;  for  this  would  be  a  much  smaller 
favor  than  to  make  it  partaker  of  my  friendship  and  of 
eternal  happiness.  Thou,  my  Spouse,  shalt  be  my  chosen 
One  and  thou  hast  found  grace  in  my  sight ;  and  there- 
fore I  make  thee  Mistress  of  all  these  goods  and  I  give 
thee  dominion   and  possession  of  them  all,  so  that,  if 


88  CITY    OF    GOD 

thou  art  a  faithful  spouse  according  to  my  wishes,  thou 
mayest  distribute  and  dispose  of  them  according  as  thou 
desirest  and  according  as  thy  intercession  shall  direct; 
for  this  is  the  purpose,  for  which  they  are  given  into  thy 
possession."  Therewith  the  most  blessed  Trinity  placed 
a  crown  on  the  head  of  our  Princess  Mary,  consecrat- 
ing Her  as  the  sovereign  Queen  of  all  creation.  Upon  it 
was  spread  and  enameled  the  inscription:  Mother  of 
God;  but  its  meaning  was  not  known  to  Her  at  this 
time.  The  heavenly  spirits,  however,  knew  it  and  they 
were  filled  with  admiration  at  the  magnificence  of  the 
Lord  toward  this  Maiden,  most  fortunate  and  blessed 
among  womankind.  They  revered  and  honored  Her  as 
their  legitimate  Queen  and  as  Sovereign  of  all  creation. 

104.  All  these  portents  of  love  the  right  hand  of  the 
Most  High  wrought  according  to  the  order  most  befit- 
ting his  infinite  wisdom;  for  before  coming  down  to 
assume  flesh  in  the  virginal  womb  of  this  Lady,  it  was 
proper  that  all  his  courtiers  should  acknowledge  his 
Mother  as  their  Queen  and  Mistress,  and  give  Her  due 
honor  as  such.  It  was  certainly  proper  and  just  that  God 
should  first  make  Her  Queen  before  making  Her 
Mother  of  the  Prince  of  eternities;  for  She  that  was  to 
bear  a  Prince,  must  necessarily  first  be  a  Queen  and  be 
acknowledged  as  Queen  by  her  vassals.  That  the  angels 
should  know  Her  as  Mother,  was  not  improper,  nor  was 
there  any  necessity  of  concealing  it  from  them.  But  on 
the  other  hand  it  seemed  due  to  the  majesty  of  the  Di- 
vinity, that  the  tabernacle  chosen  for  his  indwelling 
should  appear  before  them  prepared  and  adorned  with 
all  that  was  highest  in  dignity  and  perfection,  in  nobility 
and  magnificence  to  the  full  extent,  in  which  it  was  pos- 
sible.    Thus  then,  was  She  presented  to  the  holy  angels. 


THE   INCARNATION  89 

and  recognized  by  them,  as  their  honored  Queen  and 
Lady. 

105.  In  order  to  put  the  last  touch  to  this  prodigious 
work  of  preparing  the  most  holy  Mary,  the  Lord  ex- 
tended his  powerful  arm  and  expressly  renewed  the 
spirit  and  the  faculties  of  the  great  Lady,  giving  Her 
new  incHnations,  habits  and  qualities,  the  greatness  and 
excellence  of  which  are  inexpressible  in  terrestrial  terms. 
It  was  the  finishing  act  and  the  final  retouching  of  the 
living  image  of  God,  in  order  to  form,  in  it  and  of  it, 
the  very  shape,  into  which  the  eternal  Word,  the  essen- 
tial image  of  the  eternal  Father  (II  Cor.  4,  4)  and  the 
figure  of  his  substance  (Heb.  1,  3),  was  to  be  cast.  Thus 
the  whole  temple  of  most  holy  Mary,  more  so  than  that 
of  Solomon,  was  covered  with  the  purest  gold  of  the 
Divinity  inside  and  out,  (III  Kings,  6,  30),  so  that  no- 
where could  be  seen  in  Her  any  grossness  of  an  earthly 
daughter  of  Adam.  Her  entire  being  was  made  to 
shine  forth  the  Divinity;  for  since  the  divine  Word  was 
to  issue  from  the  bosom  of  the  eternal  Father  to  descend 
to  that  of  Mary,  He  provided  for  the  greatest  possible 
similarity  between  the  Mother  and  the  Father. 

106.  No  words  at  my  disposal  could  ever  suffice  to 
describe  as  I  would  wish,  the  effects  of  these  favors  in 
the  heart  of  our  great  Queen  and  Mistress.  Human 
thought  cannot  conceive  them,  how  then  can  human 
words  express  them?  But  what  has  caused  the  greatest 
wonder  in  me,  when  I  considered  these  things  in  the 
ligiht  given  to  me,  is  the  humility  of  this  heavenly 
Woman  and  the  mutual  contest  between  her  humility  and 
the  divine  power.  Rare  and  astonishing  prodigy  of  hu- 
mility, to  see  this  Maiden,  most  holy  Mary,  though 
raised  to  the  supremest  dignity  and  holiness  next  to  God, 
yet  humiliating  Herself  and  debasing  Herself  below  the 


90  ^"  CITY   OF   GOD 

meanest  of  the  creatures;  so  that,  by  the  force  of  this 
humihty,  no  thought  of  her  being  destined  for  the  Moth- 
ership  of  the  Messias  could  find  entrance  into  her  mind ! 
And  not  only  this:  She  did  not  even  have  a  suspicion  of 
anything  great  or  admirable  in  Herself  (Ps.  130,  1). 
Her  eyes  and  heart  were  not  elated ;  on  the  contrary  the 
higher  She  ascended  by  the  operation  of  the  right  hand 
of  her  God,  so  much  the  more  lowly  were  her  thoughts 
concerning  Herself.  It  was  therefore  just,  that  the  Al- 
mighty should  look  upon  her  humility  (Luke  1,  48),  and 
that  therefore  all  generations  should  call  her  fortunate 
and  blessed. 

INSTRUCTION     WHICH     ThE^     QUEEN     AND     MISTRESS     OE 
HEAVEN  GAVE  ME. 

107.  My  daughter,  the  soul  that  has  only  a  selfish  and 
servile  love  is  not  a  worthy  spouse  of  the  Most  High, 
for  she  must  not  love  or  fear  like  a  slave,  nor  is  she  sup- 
posed to  serve  for  her  daily  wages.  Yet  although  her 
heart  must  be  a  filial  and  generous  love  on  account  of 
the  excellence  and  immense  goodness  of  her  Spouse,  she 
must  nevertheless  also  feel  herself  much  bounden  to 
Him,  when  she  considers  how  rich  and  liberal  He  is; 
how,  on  account  of  his  love  for  souls,  He  has  created 
such  a  variety  of  visible  goods  in  order  that  they  might 
serve  those  who  serve  Him;  and  especially,  when  she 
considers  how  many  hidden  treasures  He  has  in  readi- 
ness in  the  abundance  of  his  sweetness  (Ps.  30,  20)  for 
those  that  fear  Him  as  his  true  children.  I  wish  that 
thou  feel  deeply  obliged  to  thy  Lord  and  Father,  thy 
Spouse  and  Friend,  at  the  thought  of  the  riches  given 
to  those  souls,  who  become  his  dearest  children.  For, 
as  a  powerful  Father,  He  holds  in  readiness  these  great 


THE   INCARNATION  91 

and  manifold  gifts  for  his  children,  and  if  necessary,  all 
of  his  gifts  for  each  one  of  them  in  particular.  In  the 
midst  of  such  motives  and  incentives  of  love  the  disaf- 
fection of  men  is  inexcusable,  and  at  the  sight  of  so 
many  blessings,  given  without  measure,  their  ingratitude 
is  unpardonable. 

108.  Remember,  also,  my  dearest,  that  thou  wast  no 
foreigner,  or  stranger  in  this  house  of  the  Lord,  his 
holy  Church  (Ephes.  2,  19)  ;  but  thou  wast  made  a  do- 
mestic and  a  spouse  of  Christ  among  the  saints,  favored 
by  his  gifts  and  by  the  dowry  of  a  bride.  Since  all  the 
treasures  and  riches  of  the  bridegroom  belong  to  the 
legitimate  spouse,  consider  of  how  great  possessions  He 
makes  thee  participant  and  mistress.  Enjoy  them  all, 
then,  as  his  domestic,  and  be  zealous  for  his  honor  as  a 
much-favored  daughter  and  spouse;  thank  Him  for  all 
these  works  and  benefits,  as  if  they  had  all  been  pre- 
pared for  thee  alone  by  the  Lord,  Love  and  reverence 
Him  for  thyself  and  for  all  thy  neighbors,  to  whom  God 
has  been  so  liberal.  In  all  this  imitate,  with  thy  weak 
faculties,  that  which  thou  hast  understood  of  what  I 
have  done.  I  assure  thee  also,  daughter,  that  it  will  be 
very  pleasing  to  me,  if  thou  magnify  and  praise  the  Om- 
nipotent with  fervent  affection,  for  the  favors  and  riches 
which,  beyond  all  human  conception,  the  divine  right 
hand  showered  upon  me. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  BLESSED  TRINITY  SENDS  THE  ARCHANGEL  GABRIEL 
AS  A  MESSENGER  TO  ANNOUNCE  TO  MOST  HOLY  MARY 
THAT  SHE  IS  CHOSEN  AS  THE  MOTHER  OE  GOD. 

109.  For  infinite  ages  had  been  appointed  the  con- 
venient hour  and  time,  in  which  the  great  mystery  of 
piety  (I  Tim.  3,  16),  which  was  approved  by  the  Spirit^ 
prophesied  to  men,  foretold  to  the  angels,  and  expected 
in  the  world,  was  to  be  drawn  from  the  hidden  recesses  of 
the  divine  wisdom  in  order  to  be  appropriately  mani- 
fested in  the  flesh.  The  plenitude  of  time  (Gal.  4,  4) 
had  arrived,  that  time  which  until  then,  although  filled 
with  prophecies  and  promises,  was  nevertheless  void  and 
empty.  For  it  wanted-  the  fullness  of  the  most  holy 
Mary,  by  whose  will  and  consent  all  the  ages  were  to 
receive  their  complement,  namely  the  eternal  Word 
made  flesh,  capable  of  suffering  and  redeeming  man. 
Before  all  ages  this  mystery  was  prearranged  in  such  a 
way,  that  it  should  be  fulfilled  through  the  mediation 
of  this  heavenly  Maiden.  Since  now  She  existed  in  the 
world  the  Redemption  of  man  and  the  coming  of  the 
Onlybegotten  of  the  Father  was  not  longer  to  be  de- 
layed. For  now  He  would  not  need  to  come  and  live 
as  if  by  sufferance  merely  in  tents  (H  Kings  7,  6)  or 
in  a  strange  house;  but  He  could  enjoy  a  free  welcome 
as  in  His  temple  and  as  in  his  own  house,  one  that  had 
been  built  and  enriched  at  his  own  preordained  expense, 
more  so  than  the  temple  of  Solomon  at  the  expense  of 
his  father  David  (I  Par.  22,  5). 

92 


THE    INCARNATION  93, 

110.  In  this  predetermined  time  then  the  Most  HigH 
resolved  to  send  his  onlybegotten  Son  into  the  world. 
And  comparing,  (according  to  our  way  of  understand- 
ing and  speaking),  the  decrees  of  his  eternity  with  the 
prophecies  and  testimonies  made  to  man  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  world,  and  all  this  together  with  the  po- 
sition of  sanctity  to  which  He  had  raised  most  holy  Mary, 
He  judged  that  all  the  circumstances  were  favorable  for 
the  exaltation  of  his  holy  name,  and  that  the  execution 
of  his  eternal  will  and  decree  should  be  made  manifest  to 
the  angels  and  be  commenced  by  them.  His  Majesty- 
spoke  to  the  archangel  Gabriel  in  such  words  or  lan- 
guage as  He  was  accustomed  to  use  in  intimating  his 
will  to  the  holy  angels.  Although  God  usually  illumines 
the  holy  spirits  by  commencing  with  the  higher  angels, 
who  in  turn  purify  and  illumine  the  others  in  their  order 
down  to  the  least  among  them,  thus  making  known  the 
revelations  of  the  Divinity;  yet  on  this  occasion  this 
usage  was  not  maintained,  for  the  holy  archangel  re- 
ceived his  message  immediately  from  the  mouth  of  God. 

111.  At  the  bidding  of  the  divine  will  the  holy  Ga- 
briel presented  himself  at  the  foot  of  the  throne  intent 
upon  the  immutable  essence  of  the  Most  High.  His  Ma- 
jesty then  expressly  charged  him  with  the  message, 
which  he  was  to  bring  to  the  most  holy  Mary  and  in- 
structed him  in  the  very  words  with  which  he  was  to 
salute  and  address  Her.  Thus  the  first  Author  of  the 
message  was  God  himself,  who  formed  the  exact  words  in 
his  divine  mind,  and  revealed  them  to  the  holy  archangel 
for  transmission  to  the  most  pure  Mary.  At  the  same 
time  the  Lord  revealed  to  the  holy  prince  Gabriel  many 
hidden  sacraments  concerning  the  Incarnation.  The 
blessed  Trinity  commanded  him  to  betake  himself  to  the 
heavenly  Maiden  and  announce  to  Her,  that  the  Lord 

2-8 


94  CITY   OF   GOD 

had  chosen  Her  among  women  to  be  the  Mother  of  the 
eternal  Word,  that  She  should  conceive  Him  in  her  vir- 
ginal womb  through  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  with- 
out injury  to  her  virginity.  In  this  and  in  all  the  rest 
of  the  message,  which  he  was  to  declare  and  manifest  to 
this  great  Queen  and  Mistress,  the  archangel  was  in- 
structed by  the  blessed  Trinity  itself. 

112.  Thereupon  his  Majesty  announced  to  all  the 
other  angels  that  the  time  of  the  Redemption  had  come 
and  that  He  had  commanded  it  to  be  brought  to  the 
world  without  delay ;  for  already,  in  their  own  presence, 
the  most  holy  Mary  had  been  prepared  and  adorned  to 
be  his  Mother,  and  had  been  exalted  to  the  supreme  dig- 
nity. The  heavenly  spirits  heard  the  voice  of  their  Crea- 
tor, and  with  incomparable  joy  and  thanksgiving  for  the 
fulfillment  of  his  eternal  and  perfect  will,  they  intoned 
new  canticles  of  praise,  repeating  therein  that  hymn  of 
Sion  :  "Holy,  holy,  holy  art  thou,  God  and  Lord  Sabaoth 
(Is.  6,  3).  Just  and  powerful  art  Thou,  Lord  our  God, 
who  livest  in  the  highest  (Ps.  112,  5)  and  lookest  upon 
the  lowly  of  the  earth.  Admirable  are  all  thy  works, 
most  high  and  exalted  in  thy  designs." 

113.  The  supernal  prince  Gabriel,  obeying  with  sin- 
gular delight  the  divine  command  and  accompanied  by 
many  thousands  of  most  beautiful  angels  in  visible  forms, 
descended  from  the  highest  heaven.  The  appearance  of 
the  great  prince  and  legate  was  that  of  a  most  hand- 
some youth  of  rarest  beauty;  his  face  emitted  resplen- 
dent rays  of  light,  his  bearing  was  grave  and  majestic, 
his  advance  measured,  his  motions  composed,  his  words 
weighty  and  powerful,  his  whole  presence  displayed  a 
pleasing,  kindly  gravity  and  more  of  godlike  qualities 
than  all  the  other  angels  until  then  seen  in  visible  form 
by  the  heavenly  Mistress.     He  wore  a  diadem  of  exqui- 


THE   INCARNATION  95 

site  splendor  and  his  vestments  glowed  in  various  colors 
full  of  refulgent  beauty.  Enchased  on  his  breast,  he 
bore  a  most  beautiful  cross,  disclosing  the  mystery  of 
the  Incarnation,  which  He  had  come  to  announce.  All 
these  circumstances  were  calculated  to  rivet  the  affec- 
tionate attention  of  the  most  prudent  Queen. 

114.  The  whole  of  this  celestial  army  with  their 
princely  leader  holy  Gabriel  directed  their  flight  to  Naz- 
areth, a  town  of  the  province  of  Galilee,  to  the  dwelling 
place  of  most  holy  Mary.  This  was  an  humble  cottage 
and  her  chamber  was  a  narrow  room,  bare  of  all  those 
furnishings  which  are  wont  to  be  used  by  the  world  in 
order  to  hide  its  own  meanness  and  want  of  all  higher 
goods.  The  heavenly  Mistress  was  at  this  time  fourteen 
years,  six  months  and  seventeen  days  of  age;  for  her 
birthday  anniversary  fell  on  the  eighth  of  September  and 
six  months  seventeen  days  had  passed  since  that  date, 
when  this  greatest  of  all  mysteries  ever  performed 
by  God  in  this  world,  was  enacted  in  Her. 

115.  The  bodily  shape  of  the  heavenly  Queen  was 
well  proportioned  and  taller  than  is  usual  with  other 
maidens  of  her  age ;  yet  extremely  elegant  and  perfect  in 
all  its  parts.  Her  face  was  rather  more  oblong  than 
round,  gracious  and  beautiful,  without  leanness  or  gross- 
ness;  its  complexion  clear,  yet  of  a  slightly  brownish 
hue ;  her  forehead  spacious  yet  symmetrical ;  her  eye- 
brows perfectly  arched ;  her  eyes  large  and  serious,  of 
incredible  and  ineffable  beauty  and  dovelike  sweetness, 
dark  in  color  with  a  mixture  tending  toward  green;  her 
nose  straight  and  well  shaped;  her  mouth  small,  with 
red-colored  lips,  neither  too  thin  nor  too  thick.  All  the 
gifts  of  nature  in  Her  were  so  symmetrical  and  beautiful, 
tjiat  no  other  human  being  ever  had  the  like.  To  look 
upon  Her  caused  feelings  at  the  same  time  of  joy  and 


96  CITY   OF   GOD 

seriousness,  love  and  reverential  fear.  She  attracted  the 
heart  and  yet  restrained  it  in  sweet  reverence ;  her  beauty 
impelled  the  tongue  to  sound  her  praise,  and  yet  her 
grandeur  and  her  overwhelming"  perfections  and  graces 
hushed  it  to  silence.  In  all  that  approached  Her,  She 
caused  divine  effects  not  easily  explained ;  She  filled  the 
heart  with  heavenly  influences  and  divine  operations, 
tending  toward  the  Divinity. 

116.  Her  garments  were  humble  and  poor,  yet  clean, 
of  a  dark  silvery  hue,  somewhat  like  the  color  of  ashes, 
and  they  were  arranged  and  worn  without  pretense,  but 
with  the  greatest  modesty  and  propriety.  At  the  time 
when,  without  her  noticing  it,  the  embassy  of  heaven 
drew  high  unto  Her,  She  was  engaged  in  the  highest 
contemplation  concerning  the  mysteries  which  the  Lord 
had  renewed  in  Her  by  so  many  favors  during  the  nine 
preceding  days.  And  since,  as  we  have  said  above,  the 
Lord  himself  had  assured  Her  that  his  Onlybegotten 
would  soon  descend  to  assume  human  form,  this  great 
Queen  was  full  of  fervent  and  joyful  affection  in  the  ex- 
pectation of  its  execution  and  inflamed  with  humble  love, 
She  spoke  in  her  heart:  "Is  it  possible  that  the  blessed 
time  has  arrived,  in  which  the  Word  of  the  eternal 
Father  is  to  be  born  and  to  converse  with  men?  (Baruch 
10,  38) .  That  the  world  should  possess  Him  ?  That  men 
are  to  see  Him  in  the  flesh  ?  (Is.  40.  5).  That  his  inacces- 
sible light  is  to  shine  forth  to  illumine  those  who  sit  in 
darkness?  (Is.  9,  2).  O,  who  shall  be  worthy  to  see  and 
know  Him!  O,  who  shall  be  allowed  to  kiss  the  earth 
touched  by  his  feet!" 

117.  "Rejoice,  ye  heavens,  and  console  thyself,  O 
earth  (Ps.  95,  11);  let  all  things  bless  and  extol  Him, 
since  already  his  eternal  happiness  is  nigh !  O  children  of 
Adam,  afflicted  with  sin,  and  yet  creatures  of  my  Be- 


THE   INCARNATION  97 

loved,  now  shall  you  raise  your  heads  and  throw  off  the 
yoke  of  your  ancient  servitude!  (Is.  14,  25).  O,  ye  an- 
cient Forefathers  and  Prophets,  and  all  ye  just,  that  are 
detained  in  limbo  and  are  waiting  in  the  bosom  of  Abra- 
ham, now  shall  you  be  consoled  and  your  much  desired 
and  long  promised  Redeemer  shall  tarry  no  longer!  (Agg, 
2,  8).  Let  us  all  magnify  Him  and  sing  to  Him  hymns 
of  praise!  O  who  shall  be  the  slave  of  Her,  whom 
Isaias  points  out  as  his  Mother  (Is.  7,  4)  ;  O  Emmanuel, 
true  God  and  Man !  O  key  of  David,  who  art  to  unlock 
heaven!  (Is.  22,  22).  O  eternal  Wisdom!  O  Lawgiver 
of  the  new  Church !  Come,  come  to  us,  O  Lord,  and  end 
the  captivity  of  thy  people;  let  all  flesh  see  thy  salva- 
tion!" (Is.  40,  5). 

118.  In  these  petitions  and  aspirations,  and  in  many 
more  too  deep  for  my  tongue  to  explain,  the  most  holy 
Mary  was  engaged  at  the  hour,  when  the  holy  angel 
Gabriel  arrived.  She  was  most  pure  in  soul,  most  per- 
fect in  body,  most  noble  in  her  sentiments,  most  exalted 
in  sanctity,  full  of  grace  and  so  deified  and  pleasing  in 
the  sight  of  God,  that  She  was  fit  to  be  his  Mother  and 
an  instrument  adapted  for  drawing  Him  from  the  bosom 
of  the  Father  to  her  virginal  womb.  She  was  the  power- 
ful means  of  our  Redemption  and  to  Her  we  owe  it  on 
many  accounts.  And  therefore  it  is  just,  that  all  gen- 
erations and  nations  shall  bless  and  forever  extol  Her 
(Luke  1,  48).  What  happened  at  the  entrance  of  the 
heavenly  embassy,  I  will  relate  in  the  following  chapter. 

1 19.  I  wish  only  to  state  here  a  fact  worthy  of  admira- 
tion, that  for  the  reception  of  the  message  of  the  arch- 
angel and  for  the  execution  of  the  exalted  mystery, 
which  was  to  be  wrought  in  the  heavenly  Lady  by  her 
consent,  his  Majesty  left  Her  without  any  other  aid  than 
the  resources  of  her  common  human  nature  and  those 


98  CITY   OF   GOD 

furnished  Her  by  the  faculties  and  virtues  of  her  ordi- 
nary condition,  such  as  have  been  described  in  the  first 
part  of  this  history  (Part  I,  674-714).  The  Most  High 
disposed  it  thus,  because  this  mystery  was  to  be  enacted 
as  a  sacrament  of  faith  conjointly  with  hope  and  char- 
ity. And  therefore  the  Lord  provided  Her  with  no  spe- 
cial aid,  leaving  Her  to  her  belief  and  hope  in  his  divine 
promises.  Thus  prepared  She  experienced  what  I  shall 
try  to  relate  in  my  inadequate  and  limited  terms.  The 
greatness  of  these  sacraments  makes  my  ability  to  ex- 
plain them  appear  so  much  the  more  insufficient 

INSTRUCTION  OF  THE  QUEEN  OE  HEAVEN. 

120.  My  daughter,  with  special  affection  I  manifest 
to  thee  now  my  will  and  desire  that  thou  make  thyself 
worthy  of  the  intimate  and  familiar  converse  with  God, 
and  that  for  this  purpose  thou  dispose  thyself  with  great 
zeal  and  solicitude,  weeping  over  thy  sins,  and  forgetting 
and  rejecting  all  the  visible  things,  so  that  thou  have  no 
thought  henceforth  for  any  other  thing  outside  of  God. 
Therefore  thou  must  begin  to  practice  all  that  I  have 
taught  thee  until  now,  and  whatever  I  will  yet  teach 
thee  in  the  balance  of  this  history.  I  will  accompany 
thee  and  guide  thee  on  the  course  with  which  thou  must 
maintain  in  this  familiar  intercourse  and  in  regard  to 
the  favors,  which  thou  receivest  through  his  condescen- 
sion, entertaining  Him  in  thy  heart  by  means  of  the 
faith,  light  and  grace  given  to  thee.  If  thou  dost  not 
first  conform  to  this  my  admonition,  and  prepare  thy- 
self accordingly,  thou  wilt  not  reach  the  fulfillment  of 
thy  desires,  nor  shall  I  reap  the  fruit  of  my  instruc- 
tions, which  I  give  to  thee  as  thy  Teacher. 

121.  Since  thou   has   found,   without  any  merit   of 


THE   INCARNATION  99 

thine,  the  hidden  treasure  and  the  precious  pearl  of  my 
teachings  and  instruction  (Matth.  13,  44),  despise  all 
other  things,  in  order  to  possess  and  secure  for  thyself 
this  prize  of  inestimable  value;  for  with  it  thou  shalt 
receive  all  other  goods  and  thou  wilt  make  thyself 
worthy  of  the  intimate  friendship  of  the  Lord  and  of 
his  perpetual  indwelling  in  your  heart.  In  exchange  for 
this  great  blessing,  I  desire  that  thou  die  to  all  earthly 
things  and  that  thou  offer  the  thankful  love  of  an  en- 
tirely purified  will.  In  imitation  of  me  be  thou  so 
humble,  that  as  far  as  thou  art  concerned,  thou  be  per- 
suaded and  convinced  of  thy  entire  worthlessness  and  in- 
capability, not  meriting  to  be  considered  even  as  a  slave 
of  the  servants  of  Christ. 

122.  Remember,  I  was  far  from  imagining,  that  the 
Most  High  had  designed  me  for  the  dignity  of  Mother 
of  God;  and  this  was  my  state  of  mind  although  He 
had  already  promised  his  speedy  coming  into  the  world 
and  although  He  had  commanded  me  to  desire  after 
Him  with  such  great  affection,  that  on  the  day  before 
the  execution  of  this  mystery  I  thought  I  would  die  and 
my  heart  would  burst  with  loving  sighs,  if  the  divine 
Providence  had  not  comforted  me.  He  dilated  my  spirit 
with  the  firm  hope,  that  the  Onlybegotten  of  the  eternal 
Father  would  descend  from  heaven  without  delay;  yet 
on  the  other  hand,  my  humility  inclined  me  to  fear,  lest 
my  presence  in  the  world  might  perhaps  retard  his  com- 
ing. Contemplate  then,  my  beloved,  this  secret  of  my 
breast,  and  what  an  example  it  is  for  thee  and  for  all  the 
mortals.  And  since  it  is  difficult  for  thee  to  understand 
and  describe  such  high  wisdom,  look  upon  me  in  the 
Lord,  in  order  that  by  his  divine  light,  thou  mayest 
mediate  and  comprehend  the  perfection  of  my  actions; 
follow  me  by  imitating  me,  and  walk  in  my  footsteps. 


CHAPTER  XL 

MARY  LISTENS  TO  THE  MESSAGE  OE  THE  HOLY  ANGEL; 
THE  MYSTERY  OE  THE  INCARNATION  IS  ENACTED  BY 
THE  CONCEPTION  OE  THE  ETERNAL  WORD  IN  HER 
WOMB. 

123.  I  wish  to  confess  before  heaven  and  earth  and 
its  inhabitants,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  Creator  of  the 
universe  and  the  eternal  God,  that  in  setting  myself  to 
write  of  the  profound  mystery  of  the  Incarnation,  my 
feeble  strength  deserts  me,  my  tongue  is  struck  mute, 
my  discourse  is  silenced,  my  faculties  are  benumbed,  my 
understanding  is  eclipsed  and  overwhelmed  by  the  divine 
light,  which  guides  and  instructs  me.  In  it  all  is  per- 
ceived without  error  and  without  any  deviousness;  I  see 
my  insignificance  and  I  am  made  aware  of  the  empti- 
ness of  words  and  the  insufficiency  of  human  terms  for 
doing  justice  to  my  concepts  of  this  sacrament,  which 
comprehends  at  one  and  the  same  time  God  himself  and 
the  greatest  and  most  wonderful  work  of  his  Omnipo- 
tence. I  see  in  this  mystery  the  divine  and  admirable 
harmony  of  his  infinite  providence  and  wisdom,  with 
which  from  all  eternity  He  has  ordained  and  prearranged 
it,  and  by  which  He  directed  all  creation  toward  its  ful- 
fillment. All  his  works  and  all  his  creatures  were  only 
well  adjusted  means  of  advancing  toward  this  apex  of 
his  aims,  the  condescension  of  a  God  in  assuming  human 
nature. 

124.  I  saw  that  the  eternal  Word  had  awaited  and 
chosen,  as  the  most  opportune  time  and  hour  for  his 

100 


THE   INCARNATION  101 

descent  from  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  the  midnight  of 
mortal  perversion  (Wis.  18,  14),  when  the  whole  pos- 
terity of  Adam  was  buried  and  absorbed  in  the  sleep  of 
forgetfulness  and  ignorance  of  their  true  God,  and  when 
there  was  no  one  to  open  his  mouth  in  confessing  and 
blessing  Him,  except  some  chosen  souls  among  his 
people.  All  the  rest  of  the  world  was  lost  in  silent  dark- 
ness, having  passed  a  protracted  night  of  five  thousand 
and  about  two  hundred  years.  Age  had  succeeded  age, 
and  generations  followed  upon  generations,  each  one  in 
the  time  predestined  and  decreed  by  the  eternal  Wisdom, 
each  also  having  an  opportunity  to  know  and  find  Him, 
its  Creator;  for  all  had  Him  so  nigh  to  them,  that  He 
gave  them  life,  movement  and  existence  within  their  own 
selves  (Acts  17,  28).  But  as  the  clear  day  of  his  inac- 
cessible light  had  not  arrived,  though  some  of  the  mor- 
tals, like  the  blind,  came  nigh  to  Him  and  touched  Him 
in  his  creatures,  yet  they  did  not  attain  to  the  Divinity 
(Rom.  1,  23)  and  in  failing  to  recognize  Him,  they  cast 
themselves  upon  the  sensible  and  most  vile  things  of  the 
earth. 

125.  The  day  then  had  arrived  in  which  the  Most 
High,  setting  aside  the  long  ages  of  this  dark  ignorance, 
resolved  to  manifest  Himself  to  men  and  begin  the  Re- 
demption of  the  human  race  by  assuming  their  nature 
in  the  womb  of  most  holy  Mary,  now  prepared  for  this 
event.  In  order  to  be  able  to  describe  what  was  revealed 
concerning  this  event  to  me,  it  is  necessary  to  make  men- 
tion of  some  hidden  sacraments  connected  with  the  de- 
scent of  the  Onlybegotten  from  the  bosom  of  the  Fa- 
ther. I  assume  as  firmly  established  what  the  holy  faith 
teaches  in  regard  to  the  divine  Persons,  that  although 
there  is  a  real  personal  distinction  between  the  three  Per- 
sons, yet  there  is  no  inequality  in  wisdom,  omnipotence  or 


102  CITY   OF   GOD 

other  attributes,  just  as  little  as  there  is  in  the  divine 
nature;  and  just  as  They  are  equal  in  dignity  and  in- 
finite perfection,  so  They  are  also  equal  in  these  opera- 
tions ad  extra,  which  proceed  from  God  himself  for  the 
production  of  some  creature  or  temporal  object.  These 
operations  are  indivisibly  wrought  by  three  divine  Per- 
sons; for  not  one  Person  alone  produces  them,  but  all 
Three  in  so  far  as  They  are  one  and  the  same  God,  pos- 
sessing one  and  the  same  wisdom,  one  and  the  same 
understanding  and  will.  Thus  what  the  Son  knows  and 
wishes,  that  also  the  Father  knows  and  wishes;  and  so 
also  the  Holy  Ghost  knows  and  wishes  whatever  is 
known  and  willed  by  the  Father  and  the  Son. 

126.  In  this  indivisibility  of  action  the  three  Persons 
wrought  and  executed,  by  one  and  the  same  act,  the  mys- 
tery of  the  Incarnation,  although  only  the  person  of  the 
Son  accepted  for  Himself  the  nature  of  man,  uniting  it 
to  Himself  hypostatically.  Therefore  we  say  that  the 
Son  was  sent  by  the  eternal  Father,  from  whose  intelli- 
gence He  proceeds,  and  that  the  Father  sent  Him  by  the 
intervening  operations  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  As  it  was 
the  Person  of  the  Son  which  came  to  be  made  man,  this 
same  Person  before  descending  from  the  heavens  and 
the  bosom  of  the  Father,  in  the  name  of  that  same  hu- 
manity to  be  received  by  Him,  made  a  conditional  re- 
quest, that,  on  account  of  his  foreseen  merits,  his  salva- 
tion and  satisfaction  of  the  divine  justice  for  sins  be  ex- 
tended to  the  whole  human  race.  He  desired  the  -fiat  or 
ratification  of  the  most  blessed  will  of  the  Father,  who 
sent  Him,  for  the  acceptance  of  this  Redemption  by 
means  of  his  most  holy  works  and  his  passion,  and 
through  the  mysteries,  which  He  was  to  enact  in  the 
new  Church  and  in  the  law  of  grace. 

127.  The  eternal  Father  accepted  this  petition  and  the 


THE   INCARNATION  103 

foreseen  merits  of  the  Word;  He  conceded  all  that  was 
proposed  and  asked  for  the  mortals,  and  He  himself 
confirmed  the  elect  and  predestined  souls  as  the  inheri- 
tance and  possession  of  Christ  forever.  Hence,  Christ 
himself,  our  Lord,  through  saint  John  says  that  He  has 
not  lost  nor  has  allowed  to  perish,  those  whom  the 
Father  had  given  him  (John  18,  9).  In  another  place  it 
is  said :  that  no  one  shall  snatch  his  sheep  from  his  hands 
nor  from  those  of  his  Father  (John  17,  12).  The  same 
would  hold  good  of  all  those  that  are  born,  if  they  would 
avail  themselves  of  the  Redemption,  which,  as  it  is  suffi- 
cient, should  also  b6  efficacious  for  all  and  in  all ;  since 
his  divine  mercy  desired  to  exclude  no  one,  if  only  all  of 
them  would  make  themselves  capable  of  receiving  its 
benefits  through  the  Redeemer. 

128.  All  this,  according  to  our  way  of  understanding, 
happened  in  heaven  at  the  throne  of  the  most  blessed 
Trinity  as  a  prelude  to  the  £at  of  the  most  holy  Mary,  of 
which  I  will  presently  speak.  At  the  moment,  in  which 
the  Onlybegotten  of  the  Father  descended  to  her  virginal 
womb,  all  the  heavens  and  the  creatures  were  set  in  com- 
motion. On  account  of  the  inseparable  union  of  the  di- 
vine Persons,  the  Three  of  Them  descended  with  the 
Word,  though  the  Word  alone  was  to  become  incarnate. 
And  with  the  Lord  their  God,  all  the  hosts  of  the  celes- 
tial army,  issued  from  heaven,  full  of  invincible  strength 
and  splendor.  Although  it  was  not  necessary  to  pre- 
pare the  way,  since  the  Divinity  fills  the  universe,  is 
present  in  all  places  and  cannot  be  impeded  by  anything; 
nevertheless  all  the  eleven  material  heavens  showed 
deference  to  their  Creator,  and,  together  with  the  in- 
ferior elements,  opened  up  and  parted  as  it  were,  for  his 
passage;  the  stars  shone  with  greater  brilliancy,  the 
moon  and  sun  with  the  planets  hastened  their  course  in 


104  CITY    OF    GOD 

the  service  of  their  Maker,  anxious  to  witness  the  great- 
est of  his  wonderful  works. 

129.  Mortals  did  not  perceive  this  commotion  and  re- 
newal of  all  the  creatures ;  both  because  it  happened  dur- 
ing the  night,  as  well  as  because  the  Lord  wished  it  to 
be  known  only  to  the  angels.  These  with  new  wonder 
praised  Him,  knowing  these  profound  and  venerable 
mysteries  to  be  hidden  from  men.  For  they  knew  that 
men  were  far  removed  from  understanding  these  won- 
derful benefits,  so  admirable  even  in  the  eyes  of  angelic 
spirits.  To  these  angelic  spirits  alone  was  at  that  time 
assigned  the  duty  of  giving  glory,  praise  and  reverence 
for  these  benefits  to  their  Maker.  However,  in  the 
hearts  of  some  of  the  just  the  Most  High  infused  at  that 
hour  a  new  feeling  and  affection  of  extraordinary  joy 
of  which  they  became  conscious.  They  conceived  new 
and  grand  ideas  concerning  the  Lord;  some  of  them 
were  inspired  and  began  to  confer  within  themselves, 
whether  this  new  sensation,  which  they  felt,  was  not  the 
effect  of  the  coming  of  the  Messias  in  order  to  redeem 
the  world;  but  all  this  remained  concealed,  for  each  one 
thought,  that  he  alone  had  experienced  this  renewal  of 
his  interior. 

130.  In  the  other  creatures  there  was  a  like  renovation 
and  change.  The  birds  moved  about  with  new  songs 
and  joyousness;  the  plants  and  trees  gave  forth  more 
fruit  and  fragrance;  and  in  like  proportion  all  the  rest 
of  the  creatures  received  and  felt  some  kind  of  vivifying 
change.  But  among  those  that  received  the  greatest 
share,  were  the  Fathers  and  Saints  in  limbo,  whither  the 
archangel  Michael  was  sent  with  the  glad  message,  in 
order  to  console  them  and  cause  in  them  the  fullness 
of  jubilee  and  praise.  Only  for  hell  it  was  a  cause  of 
new  consternation  and  grief;  for  at  the  descent  of  the 


THE   INCARNATION  105 

eternal  Word  from  on  high,  the  demons  felt  an  impet- 
uous force  of  the  divine  power,  which  came  upon  them 
like  the  waves  of  the  sea  and  buried  all  of  them  in  the 
deepest  caverns  of  their  darkness  without  leaving  them 
any  strength  of  resistance  or  recovery.  When  by  divine 
permission  they  were  again  able  to  rise,  they  poured 
forth  upon  the  world  and  hastened  about  to  discover 
what  strange  happening  had  thus  undone  them.  How- 
ever, although  they  held  several  conferences  among  them- 
selves, they  were  unable  to  find  the  cause. 

The  divine  Power  concealed  from  them  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  Incarnation  and  the  manner  in  which  most 
holy  Mary  conceived  the  incarnate  Word  (No.  326). 
Not  until  the  death  of  Christ  on  the  cross  did  they  arrive 
at  the  certainty,  that  He  was  God  and  true  man,  as  we 
shall  there  relate. 

131.  In  order  that  the  mystery  of  the  Most  High 
might  be  fulfilled,  the  holy  archangel  Gabriel,  in  the 
shape  described  in  the  preceding  chapter  and  accom- 
panied by  innumerable  angels  in  visible  human  forms 
and  resplendent  with  incomparable  beauty,  entered  into 
the  chamber,  where  most  holy  Mary  was  praying.  It 
was  on  a  Thursday  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  and  at 
the  approach  of  night.  The  great  modesty  and  restraint 
of  the  Princess  of  heaven  did  not  permit  Her  to  look  at 
him  more  than  was  necessary  to  recognize  him  as  an 
angel  of  the  Lord.  Recognizing  him  as  such,  She,  in 
her  usual  humility,  wished  to  do  him  reverence;  the  holy 
prince  would  not  allow  it;  on  the  contrary  he  himself 
bowed  profoundly  as  before  his  Queen  and  Mistress,  in 
whom  he  adored  the  heavenly  mysteries  of  his  Creator. 
At  the  same  time  he  understood  that  from  that  day  on 
the  ancient  times  and  the  custom  of  old  whereby  men 
should  worship  angels,  as  Abraham  had  done  (Gen.  28, 


106  CITY   OF   GOD 

2),  were  changed.  For  as  human  nature  was  raised  to 
the  dignity  of  God  himself  in  the  person  of  the  Word, 
men  now  held  the  position  of  adopted  children,  of  com- 
panions and  brethren  of  the  angels,  as  the  angel  said  to 
Evangelist  Saint  John,  when  he  refused  to  be  wor- 
shipped (Apoc.  19,  10). 

132.  The  holy  archangel  saluted  our  and  his  Queen 
and  said :  "Ave  gratia  plena,  Dominus  tecum,  benedicta 
tu  in  mulieribus"  (Luke  1,  28).  Hearing  this  new  sal- 
utation of  the  angel,  this  most  humble  of  all  creatures 
was  disturbed,  but  not  confused  in  mind  (Luke  1,  29). 
This  disturbance  arose  from  two  causes:  first,  from  her 
humility,  for  She  thought  Herself  the  lowest  of  the  crea- 
tures and  thus  in  her  humility,  was  taken  unawares  at 
hearing  Herself  saluted  and  called  the  "Blessed  among 
women;"  secondly,  when  She  heard  this  salute  and  be- 
gan to  consider  within  Herself  how  She  should  receive 
it.  She  was  interiorly  made  to  understand  by  the  Lord, 
that  He  chose  Her  for  his  Mother,  and  this  caused  a  still 
greater  perturbance,  having  such  an  humble  opinion  of 
Herself.  On  account  of  this  perturbance  the  angel  pro- 
ceeded to  explain  to  Her  the  decree  of  the  Lord,  saying : 
"Do  not  fear,  Mary,  for  thou  hast  found  grace  before 
the  Lord  (Luke  1,  30)  ;  behold  thou  shalt  conceive  a 
Son  in  thy  womb,  and  thou  shalt  give  birth  to  Him,  and 
thou  shalt  name  Him  Jesus;  He  shall  be  great,  and  He 
shall  be  called  Son  of  the  Most  High,"  and  the  rest  as 
recorded  of  the  holy  archangel. 

133.  Our  most  prudent  and  humble  Queen  alone, 
among  all  the  creatures,  was  sufficiently  intelligent  and 
magnanimous  to  estimate  at  its  true  value  such  a  new 
and  unheard  of  sacrament;  and  in  proportion  as  She 
realized  its  greatness,  so  She  was  also  moved  with  ad- 
miration.   But  She  raised  her  humble  heart  to  the  Lord» 


THE   INCARNATION  107 

who  could  not  refuse  Her  any  petition,  and  in  the  secret 
of  her  spirit  She  asked  new  light  and  assistance  by  which 
to  govern  Herself  in  such  an  arduous  transaction;  for, 
as  we  have  said  in  the  preceding  chapter,  the  Most  High, 
in  order  to  permit  Her  to  act  in  this  mystery  solely  in 
faith,  hope  and  charity,  left  Her  in  the  common  state 
and  suspended  all  other  kinds  of  favors  and  interior  ele- 
vations, which  She  so  frequently  or  continually  enjoyed. 
In  this  disposition  She  replied  and  said  to  holy  Gabriel, 
what  is  written  in  saint  Liike:  "How  shall  this  happen, 
that  I  conceive  and  bear;  since  I  know  not,  nor  can 
know,  man  ?"  At  the  same  time  She  interiorly  represented 
to  the  Lord  the  vow  of  chastity,  which  She  had  made 
and  the  espousal,  which  his  Majesty  had  celebrated  with 
Her. 

134.  The  holy  prince  Gabriel  replied  (Luke  1,  24)  : 
"Lady,  it  is  easy  for  the  divine  power  to  make  Thee  a 
Mother  without  the  co-operation  of  man ;  the  Holy  Spirit 
shall  remain  with  Thee  by  a  new  presence  and  the  virtue 
of  the  Most  High  shall  overshadow  Thee,  so  that  the 
Holy  of  holies  can  be  born  of  Thee,  who  shall  himself 
be  called  the  Son  of  God.  And  behold,  thy  cousin  Elisa- 
beth has  likewise  conceived  a  son  in  her  sterile  years 
and  this  is  the  sixth  month  of  her  conception ;  for  noth- 
ing is  impossible  with  God.  He  that  can  make  her  con- 
ceive, who  was  sterile,  can  bring  it  about,  that  Thou, 
Lady,  be  his  Mother,  still  preserving  thy  virginity  and 
enhancing  thy  purity.  To  the  Son  whom  Thou  shalt 
bear,  God  will  give  the  throne  of  his  father  David  and 
his  reign  shall  be  everlasting  in  the  house  of  Jacob.  Thou 
art  not  ignorant,  O  Lady,  of  the  prophecy  of  Isaias  (Is. 
7,  14),  that  a  Virgin  shall  conceive  and  shall  bear  a  son, 
whose  name  shall  be  Emmanuel,  God  with  us.  This 
prophecy  is  infallible  and  it  shall  be  fulfilled  in  thy  per- 


108  CITY   OF   GOD 

son.  Thou  knowest  also  of  the  great  mystery  of  the 
bush,  which  Moses  saw  burning  without  its  being  con- 
sumed by  the  fire  (Exod.  3,  2).  This  signified  that  the 
two  natures,  divine  and  human,  are  to  be  united  in  such 
a  manner,  that  the  latter  is  not  consumed  by  the  divine, 
and  that  the  Mother  of  the  Messias  shall  conceive  and 
give  birth  without  violation  of  her  virginal  purity.  Re- 
member also,  Lady,  the  promise  of  the  eternal  God  to 
the  Patriarch  Abraham,  that,  after  the  captivity  of  his 
posterity  for  four  generations,  they  should  return  to 
this  land ;  the  mysterious  signification  of  which  was,  that 
in  this,  the  fourth  generation,*  the  incarnate  God  is  to 
rescue  the  whole  race  of  Adam  through  thy  co-operation 
from  the  oppression  of  the  devil  (Gen.  15,  16).  And 
the  ladder,  which  Jacob  saw  in  his  sleep  (Gen.  28,  12), 
was  an  express  figure  of  the  royal  way,  which  the  eternal 
Word  was  to  open  up  and  by  which  the  mortals  are  to 
ascend  to  heaven  and  the  angels  to  descend  to  earth. 
To  this  earth  the  Onlybegotten  of  the  Father  shall  lower 
Himself  in  order  to  converse  with  men  and  communicate 
to  them  the  treasures  of  his  Divinity,  imparting  to  them 
his  virtues  and  his  immutable  and  eternal  perfections." 
135.  With  these  and  many  other  words  the  ambassa- 
dor of  heaven  instructed  the  most  holy  Mary,  in  order 
that,  by  the  remembrance  of  the  ancient  promises  and 
prophecies  of  holy  Writ,  by  the  reliance  and  trust  in 
them  and  in  the  infinite  power  of  the  Most  High,  She 
might  overcome  her  hesitancy  at  the  heavenly  message. 
But  as  the  Lady  herself  exceeded  the  angels  in  wisdom, 
prudence  and  in  all  sanctity.  She  withheld  her  answer, 

*In  the  autograph  manuscript  Mary  o£  Agreda  explains  this  fourth  genera- 
tion as  follows: 

"The  mystery  of  this  fourth  generation  is  that  there  are  four  generations: 
ist,  that  of  Adam  without  a  father  or  mother;  2nd,  that  of  Eve  without  a  mother; 
3rd,  of  our  own,  from  a  father  and  mother;  4th,  that  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
from  a  Mother  without  a  father." 


THE   INCARNATION  109 

in  order  to  be  able  to  give  it  in  accordance  with  the 
divine  will  and  that  it  might  be  worthy  of  the  greatest 
of  all  the  mysteries  and  sacraments  of  the  divine  power. 
She  reflected  that  upon  her  answer  depended  the  pledge 
of  the  most  blessed  Trinity,  the  fulfillment  of  his  prom- 
ises and  prophecies,  the  most  pleasing  and  acceptable  of 
all  sacrifices,  the  opening  of  the  gates  of  paradise,  the 
victory  and  triumph  over  hell,  the  Redemption  of  all  the 
human  race,  the  satisfaction  of  the  divine  justice,  the 
foundation  of  the  new  law  of  grace,  the  glorification  of 
men,  the  rejoicing  of  the  angels,  and  whatever  was  con- 
nected with  the  Incarnation  of  the  Onlybegotten  of  the 
Father  and  his  assuming  the  form  of  servant  in  her 
virginal  womb  (Philip  2,  7). 

136.  A  great  wonder,  indeed,  and  worthy  of  our  ad- 
miration, that  all  these  mysteries  and  whatever  others 
they  included,  should  be  intrusted  by  the  Almighty  to 
an  humble  Maiden  and  made  dependent  upon  her  fiat. 
But  befittingly  and  securely  He  left  them  to  the  wise  and 
strong  decision  of  this  courageous  Woman  (Prov.  31, 
11),  since  She  would  consider  them  with  such  mag- 
nanimity and  nobility,  that  perforce  his  confidence  in  Her 
was  not  misplaced.  The  operations,  which  proceed 
within  the  divine  Essence,  depend  not  on  the  co-opera- 
tion of  creatures,  for  they  have  no  part  in  them  and  God 
could  not  expect  such  co-operations  for  executing  the 
works  ad  intra;  but  in  the  works  ad  extra  and  such  as 
were  contingent,  among  which  that  of  becoming  man 
was  the  most  exalted,  Pie  could  not  proceed  without  the 
co-operation  of  most  holy  Mary  and  without  her  free 
consent.  For  He  wished  to  reach  this  acme  of  all  the 
works  outside  Himself  in  Her  and  through  Her  and  He 
wished  that  we  should  owe  this  benefit  to  this  Mother  of 
wisdom  and  our  Reparatrix. 

2-9 


110  CITY   OF   GOD 

137.  Therefore  this  great  Lady  considered  and  in- 
spected profoundly  this  spacious  field  of  the  dignity  of 
Mother  of  God  (Prov.  21,  11)  in  order  to  purchase  it 
by  her  Hat;  She  clothed  Herself  in  fortitude  more  than 
human,  and  She  tasted  and  saw  how  profitable  was  this 
enterprise  and  commerce  with  the  Divinity.  She  com- 
prehended the  ways  of  his  hidden  benevolence  and 
adorned  Herself  with  fortitude  and  beauty.  And  hav- 
ing conferred  with  Herself  and  with  the  heavenly  mes- 
senger Gabriel  about  the  grandeur  of  these  high  and 
divine  sacraments,  and  finding  Herself  in  excellent  con- 
dition to  receive  the  message  sent  to  Her,  her  purest 
soul  was  absorbed  and  elevated  in  admiration,  reverence 
and  highest  intensity  of  divine  love.  By  the  intensity  of 
these  movements  and  supernal  affections,  her  most  pure 
heart,  as  it  were  by  natural  consequence,  was  contracted 
and  compressed  with  such  force,  that  it  distilled  three 
drops  of  her  most  pure  blood,  and  these,  finding  their 
way  to  the  natural  place  for  the  act  of  conception,  were 
formed  by  the  power  of  the  divine  and  holy  Spirit,  into 
the  body  of  Christ  our  Lord.  Thus  the  matter,  from 
which  the  most  holy  humanity  of  the  Word  for  our  Re- 
demption is  composed,  was  furnished  and  administered 
by  the  most  pure  heart  of  Mary  and  through  the  sheer 
force  of  her  true  love.  At  the  same  moment,  with  a 
humility  never  sufficiently  to  be  extolled,  inclining 
slightly  her  head  and  joining  her  hands.  She  pro- 
nounced these  words,  which  were  the  beginning  of  our 
salvation:  "Fiat  mihi  secundum  verbum  tuum"  (Luke 
1,31). 

138.  At  the  pronouncing  of  this  "fiat,"  so  sweet  to 
the  hearing  of  God  and  so  fortunate  for  us,  in  one  in- 
stant, four  things  happened.  First,  the  most  holy  body 
of  Christ  our  Lord  was  formed  from  the  three  drops  of 


THE    INCARNATION  111 

blood  furnished  by  the  heart  of  most  holy  Mary.  Sec- 
ondly, the  most  holy  soul  of  the  same  Lord  was  created, 
just  as  the  other  souls.  Thirdly,  the  soul  and  the  body 
united  in  order  to  compose  his  perfect  humanity. 
Fourthly,  the  Divinity  united  Itself  in  the  Person  of  the 
Word  with  the  humanity,  which  together  became  one 
composite  being  in  hypostatical  union;  and  thus  was 
formed  Christ  true  God  and  Man,  our  Lord  and  Re- 
deemer. This  happened  in  springtime  on  the  twenty- 
fifth  of  March,  at  break  or  dawning  of  the  day,  in  the 
same  hour,  in  which  our  first  father  Adam  was  made 
and  in  the  year  of  the  creation  of  the  world  5199, 
which  agrees  also  with  the  count  of  the  Roman  Church 
in  her  Martyrology  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  This  reckoning  is  the  true  and  certain  one,  as 
was  told  me,  when  I  inquired  at  command  of  my  supe- 
riors. Conformable  to  this  the  world  was  created  in  the 
month  of  March,  which  corresponds  to  the  beginning  of 
creation.  And  as  the  works  of  the  Most  High  are  per- 
fect and  complete  (Deut.  32,  4),  the  plants  and  trees 
come  forth  from  the  hands  of  his  Majesty  bearing  fruit, 
and  they  would  have  borne  them  continually  without  in- 
termission, if  sin  had  not  changed  the  whole  nature,  as 
I  will  expressly  relate  in  another  treatise,  if  it  is  the  will 
of  the  Lord;  now  however  I  will  not  detain  myself 
therewith,  since  it  does  not  pertain  to  our  subject. 

139.  In  the  same  instant,  in  which  the  Almighty  cele- 
brated the  nuptials  of  the  hypostatic  union  in  the  womb 
of  most  holy  Mary,  the  heavenly  Lady  was  elevated  to 
the  beatific  vision  and  the  Divinity  manifested  Itself  to 
Her  clearly  and  intuitively.  She  saw  most  high  sacra- 
ments, of  which  I  will  speak  in  the  next  chapter.  The 
mysteries  of  the  inscriptions,  with  which  She  was 
adorned  and  which  the  angels  exhibited  as  related  in  the 


112  CITY   OF   GOD 

seventh  chapter  (No.  82,  also  Part  I,  207,  363-4),  were 
made  clear  to  Her  each  in  particular.  The  divine  Child 
began  to  g^ow  in  the  natural  manner  in  the  recess  of 
the  womb,  being  nourished  by  the  substance  and  the 
blood  of  its  most  holy  Mother,  just  as  other  men;  yet 
it  was  more  free  and  exempt  from  the  imperfections,  to 
which  other  children  of  Adam  are  subject  in  that  place 
and  period.  For  from  some  of  these,  namely  those  that 
are  accidental  and  unnecessary  to  the  substance  of  the  act 
of  generation,  being  merely  effects  of  sin,  the  Empress  of 
heaven  was  free.  She  was  also  free  from  the  superflui- 
ties caused  by  sin,  which  in  other  women  are  common  and 
happen  naturally  in  the  formation,  sustenance  and 
growth  of  their  children.  For  the  necessary  matter, 
which  is  proper  to  the  infected  nature  of  the  descend- 
ants of  Eve  and  which  was  wanting  in  Her,  was  sup- 
plied and  administered  in  Her  by  the  exercise  of  heroic 
acts  of  virtue  and  especially  by  charity.  By  the  fervor 
of  her  soul  and  her  loving  affections  the  blood  and  hu- 
mors of  her  body  were  changed  and  thereby  divine 
Providence  provided  for  the  sustenance  of  the  divine 
Child.  Thus  in  a  natural  manner  the  humanity  of  our 
Redeemer  was  nourished,  while  his  Divinity  was  recre- 
ated and  pleased  with  her  heroic  virtues.  Most  holy 
Mary  furnished  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  for  the  formation  of 
this  body,  pure  and  limpid  blood,  free  from  sin  and  all 
its  tendencies.  And  whatever  impure  and  imperfect 
matter  is  supplied  by  other  mothers  for  the  growth  of 
their  children  was  administered  by  the  Queen  of  heaven 
most  pure  and  delicate  in  substance.  For  it  was  built 
up  and  supplied  by  the  power  of  her  loving  affections 
and  her  other  virtues.  In  a  like  manner  was  purified 
whatever  served  as  food  for  the  heavenly  Queen.  For, 
as  She  knew  that  her  nourishment  was  at  the  same  time 


THE   INCARNATION  113 

to  sustain  and  nourish  the  Son  of  God,  She  partook  of  it 
with  such  heroic  acts  of  virtue,  that  the  angelic  spirits 
wondered  how  such  common  human  actions  could  be 
connected  with  such  supernal  heights  of  merit  and  per- 
fection in  the  sight  of  God. 

140.  The  heavenly  Lady  was  thus  established  in  such 
high  privileges  in  her  position  as  Mother  of  God,  that 
those  which  I  have  already  mentioned  and  which  I  shall 
yet  mention,  convey  not  even  the  smallest  idea  of  her 
excellence,  and  my  tongue  cannot  describe  it.  For, 
neither  is  it  possible  to  conceive  it  by  the  understanding, 
nor  can  the  most  learned,  nor  the  most  wise  of  men 
find  adequate  terms  to  express  it.  The  humble,  who  are 
proficient  in  the  art  of  divine  love,  become  aware  of  it 
by  infused  light  and  by  the  interior  taste  and  feeling,  by 
which  such  sacraments  are  perceived.  Not  only  was 
most  holy  Mary  become  a  heaven,  a  temple  and  dwelling 
place  of  the  most  holy  Trinity,  transformed  thereto,  ele- 
vated and  made  godlike  by  the  special  and  unheard  of 
operation  of  the  Divinity  in  her  most  pure  womb;  but 
her  humble  cottage  and  her  poor  little  oratory  was  con- 
secrated by  the  Divinity  as  a  new  sanctuary  of  God.  The 
heavenly  spirits,  who  as  witnesses  of  this  marvelous 
transformation  were  present  to  contemplate  it,  magni- 
fied the  Almighty  with  ineffable  praise  and  jubilee;  in 
union  with  this  most  happy  Mother,  they  blessed  Him  in 
his  name  and  in  the  name  of  the  human  race,  which  was 
ignorant  of  this  the  greatest  of  his  benefits  and  mercies. 

INSTRUCTION   OF   THE   MOST    HOLY   QUEEN    MARY. 

141.  My  daughter,  thou  art  filled  with  astonishment 
at  seeing,  by  means  of  new  light,  the  mystery  of  the 
humiliation  of  the  Divinity  in  uniting  Himself  with  the 


114  CITY   OF   GOD 

human  nature  in  the  womb  of  a  poor  maiden  such  as  I 
was.  I  wish,  however,  my  dearest,  that  thou  turn  thy 
attention  toward  thyself  and  consider,  how  God  humih- 
ated  Himself,  and  came  into  my  womb,  not  only  for  my- 
self alone,  but  for  thee  as  well.  The  Lord  is  infinite  in 
his  mercy  and  his  love  has  no  limit,  and  thus  He  at- 
tends and  esteems  and  assists  every  soul  who  receives 
Him,  and  He  rejoices  in  it,  as  if  He  had  created  it  alone, 
and  as  if  He  had  been  made  man  for  it  alone.  There- 
fore with  all  the  affection  of  thy  soul  thou  must,  as  it 
were,  consider  thyself  as  being  thyself  in  person  bound 
to  render  the  full  measure  of  thanks  of  all  the  world 
for  his  coming-;  and  for  his  coming  to  redeem  all.  And 
if,  with  a  lively  faith  thou  art  convinced  and  confessest, 
that  the  same  God  who,  infinite  in  his  attributes  and 
eternal  in  his  majesty,  lowered  Himself  to  assume 
human  flesh  in  my  womb,  seeks  also  thee,  calls  thee,  re- 
joices thee,  caresses  thee,  and  thinks  of  thee  alone,  as  if 
thou  wert  his  only  creature  (Gal.  2,  20)  ;  think  well  and 
reflect  to  what  his  admirable  condescension  obliges  thee. 
Convert  this  admiration  into  living  acts  of  faith  and 
love;  for,  that  He  condescends  to  come  to  thee,  thou 
owest  entirely  to  the  goodness  of  the  King  and  Savior, 
since  thou  thyself  couldst  never  find  Him  nor  attain 
Him. 

142.  Considering  merely  that  which  this  Lord  can 
give  thee  outside  of  Himself,  it  will  appear  to  thee 
grand,  even  when  thou  perceivest  it  only  by  a  mere 
human  intelligence  and  affection.  It  is  certainly  true  that 
any  gift  from  such  an  eminent  and  supreme  King  is 
worthy  of  all  estimation.  But  when  thou  beginst  to 
consider  and  know  by  divine  light,  that  this  gift  is  God 
Himself  and  that  He  makes  Thee  partaker  of  his  Di- 
vinity, when  thou  wilt  understand,  that  without  thy  God 


THE   INCARNATION  115 

and  without  his  coming-,  all  creation  would  be  as  noth- 
ing and  despicable  in  thy  sight;  thou  wouldst  want  to 
enjoy  thyself  and  find  rest  only  in  the  consciousness  of 
possessing  such  a  God,  so  loving,  so  amiable,  so  power- 
ful, sweet  and  affluent;  who,  being  such  a  great  and  in- 
finite God,  humiliates  Himself  to  thy  lowliness  in  order 
to  raise  thee  from  the  dust  and  enrich  thy  poverty,  per- 
forming toward  thee  the  duties  of  a  Shepherd,  of  a 
Father,  a  Spouse  and  most  faithful  Friend. 

143.  Attend,  therefore,  my  daughter,  in  the  secret  of 
thy  heart  to  all  the  consequences  of  thfese  truths.  Ponder 
and  confer  within  thyself  about  this  sweetest  love  of  the 
great  King  for  thee;  how  faithful  He  is  in  his  gifts  and 
caresses,  in  his  favors,  in  the  works  confided  to  thee,  in 
the  enlightenment  of  thy  interior,  instructing  thee  by 
divine  science  in  the  infinite  greatness  of  his  Being,  in 
his  admirable  works  and  most  hidden  mysteries,  in  uni- 
versal truth  and  in  the  nothingness  of  visible  existence. 
This  science  is  the  first  beginning  and  principle,  the 
basis  and  foundation  of  the  knowledge  which  I  have 
given  thee  in  order  that  thou  mayest  attain  to  the  de- 
corum and  magnanimity,  with  which  thou  art  to  treat 
the  favors  and  benefits  of  this  thy  Lord  and  God,  thy 
true  blessedness,  thy  treasure,  thy  light  and  thy  Guide. 
Look  upon  Him  as  upon  the  infinite  God,  loving,  yet 
terrible.  Listen,  my  dearest,  to  my  words,  to  my  teach- 
ings and  discipline,  for  therein  are  contained  the  peace  and 
the  enlightenment  of  thy  soul. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

OF  THE  FIRST  ACTS  OF  THE  MOST  HOLY  SOUIy  OF  CHRIST 
OUR  LORD  IN  THE  FIRST  INSTANT  OF  HIS  CONCEPTION 
AND  OF  THE  CORRESPONDING  ACTS  OF  HIS  MOST  PURE 
MOTHER. 

144.  In  order  to  understand  what  were  the  first  acts 
of  the  most  holy  Soul  of  Christ  our  Lord,  we  must  refer 
to  that  which  has  been  said  in  the  preceding  chapter 
(No.  138),  namely,  that  all  that  substantially  belonged 
to  this  divine  mystery,  the  formation  of  the  body,  the 
creation  and  the  infusion  of  the  soul,  and  the  union  of 
the  individual  humanity  with  the  person  of  the  Word, 
happened  and  was  completed  in  one  act  or  instant;  so 
that  we  cannot  say  that  in  any  moment  of  time  Christ 
our  highest  Good  was  only  man.  For  from  the  first  in- 
stant He  was  man  and  true  God ;  as  soon  as  his  human- 
ity arrived  at  being  man,  He  was  also  God ;  therefore 
He  could  not  at  any  time  be  called  a  mere  man,  not  for 
one  instant;  but  from  the  very  beginning  He  was  God- 
man  or  Mangod.  And  as  the  active  exercise  of  the 
faculties  is  co-existent  with  operative  essences,  therefore 
the  most  holy  soul  of  Christ  our  Lord,  in  the  same  in- 
stant in  which  the  Incarnation  took  place,  was  beatified 
by  intuitive  vision  and  love.  According  to  our  way  of 
speaking,  the  powers  of  his  intellect  and  will  immediately 
united  with  the  Divinity  itself.  For  his  human  essence 
joined  the  Divinity  in  one  instant  by  hypostatic  union, 
and  thus  his  human  faculties  in  their  most  perfect  ac- 
tivity were  united  with  the  essence  of  God  himself,  so 

116 


THE    INCARNATION  117 

that  both  in  essence  and  in  operation  He  was  entirely 
deified. 

145.  The  wonder  about  this  sacrament  is  that  so 
much  glory,  yea,  the  greatness  of  the  immense  Divinity, 
was  enclosed  within  such  a  small  compass,  not  larger 
than  the  body  of  a  bee,  or  not  greater  than  a  small  al- 
mond. For  the  dimension  of  the  most  holy  body  of 
Christ  was  not  any  greater  than  that  at  the  instant  when 
the  conception  and  hypostatic  union  took  place.  More- 
over in  this  small  compass  was  included  the  highest 
glory  as  well  as  the  capability  for  suffering;  for  the  hu- 
manity was  at  the  same  time  glorified  and  also  passible, 
it  was  both  a  Comprehensor  and  a  Viator,  possessing 
heaven  though  yet  on  his  pilgrimage  to  heaven.  God,  how- 
ever, in  his  infinite  power  and  wisdom,  could  thus  contract 
Himself  and  enclose  his  infinite  Deity  within  the  sphere 
of  a  body  thus  minute  by  a  new  and  admirable  mode  of 
existence,  without  in  the  least  ceasing  to  be  God.  By  the 
same  Omnipotence  He  provided  that  this  most  holy  soul 
of  Christ,  in  its  superior  faculties  and  in  its  most  noble 
operations,  should  be  in  the  state  of  glory  and  enjoying 
beatitude;  while  all  this  immense  glory  was  at  the  same 
time  compressed,  as  it  were,  into  the  superior  parts  of 
his  soul,  suspending  the  effects  and  gifts  of  glory,  that 
would  otherwise  naturally  have  communicated  them- 
selves to  his  body.  On  this  account  He  could  be  at  the 
same  time  a  viator,  subject  to  suffering,  enabling  Him  to 
procure  our  salvation  by  means  of  his  Cross,  Passion 
and  Death. 

146,  In  order  to  be  fully  equipped  for  these  and  for 
whatever  the  most  holy  humanity  was  to  perform,  all 
the  habits,  natural  to  his  faculties  and  necessary  for  their 
activity  and  operation  both  as  Comprehensor  and  as 
Viator,  were  infused  into  it  at  the  moment  of  his  con- 


118  CITY    OF    GOD 

ception.  Thus  He  was  furnished  with  the  infused 
science  of  the  blessed;  with  the  sanctifying  grace  and 
the  g^fts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  according  to  Isaias 
rested  upon  the  Christ  (Is.  11,  2).  He  possessed  all  the 
virtues,  except  faith  and  hope;  for  these  are  incom- 
patible with  the  beatific  vision  and  possession,  and  were 
wanting  in  Him;  likewise  were  wanting  in  the  Holy  of 
the  holy  ones,  all  other  virtues,  which  presuppose  any 
imperfection;  since  He  could  not  sin,  nor  was  deceit 
found  in  his  mouth  (I  Pet.  2,  22).  The  dignity  and  ex- 
cellence of  his  science  and  grace,  the  virtues  and  perfec- 
tions of  Christ  our  Lord  need  not  be  mentioned  here, 
for  that  is  taught  by  the  sacred  doctors  and  masters  of 
theology  in  a  profuse  manner.  For  me  it  is  sufficient  to 
state  that  all  this  was  as  perfect  as  was  possible  to  the 
divine  power  and  that  it  cannot  be  encompassed  by  hu- 
man understanding.  For  the  most  holy  soul  of  Christ 
drank  from  the  very  fountain  of  the  Divinity  (Ps. 
35,  10)  and  could  do  so  without  limit  or  retrenchment, 
as  David  says  (Ps.  109,  7).  Therefore  He  must  have 
been  possessed  of  the  plenitude  of  all  virtues  and  per- 
fections. 

147.  Thus  adorned  and  deified  by  the  Divinity  and  its 
gifts,  the  most  holy  soul  of  Christ  our  Lord  proceeded 
in  its  operations  in  the  following  order:  immediately  it 
began  to  see  and  know  the  Divinity  intuitively  as  It  is 
in  Itself  and  as  It  is  united  to  his  most  holy  humanity, 
loving  It  with  the  highest  beatific  love  and  perceiving 
the  inferiority  of  the  human  nature  in  comparison  with 
the  essence  of  God.  The  soul  of  Christ  humiliated  it- 
self profoundly,  and  in  this  humility  it  gave  thanks  to 
the  immutable  being  of  God  for  having  created  it  and 
for  the  benefit  of  the  hypostatic  union,  by  which,  though 
remaining  human,  it  was  raised  to  the  essence  of  God. 


THE    INCARNATION  119 

It  also  recognized  that  his  most  holy  humanity  was 
made  capable  of  suffering,  and  was  adapted  for  attaining 
the  end  of  the  Redemption.  In  this  knowledge  it  of- 
fered itself  as  the  Redeemer  in  sacrifice  for  the  human 
race  (Ps.  39,  8),  accepting  the  state  of  suffering  and 
giving  thanks  in  his  own  name  and  in  the  name  of  man- 
kind to  the  eternal  Father.  He  recognized  the  composi- 
tion of  his  most  holy  humanity,  the  substance  of  which 
it  was  made,  and  how  most  holy  Mary  by  the  force  of 
her  charity  and  of  her  heroic  virtues,  furnished  its  sub- 
stance. He  took  possession  of  this  holy  tabernacle  and 
dwelling;  rejoicing  in  its  most  exquisite  beauty,  and, 
well  pleased,  reserved  as  his  own  property  the  soul  of 
this  most  perfect  and  most  pure  Creature  for  all  eternity. 
He  praised  the  eternal  Father  for  having  created  Her 
and  endowed  Her  with  such  vast  graces  and  gifts;  for 
having  exempted  Her  and  freed  Her  from  the  common 
law  of  sin,  as  his  Daughter,  while  all  the  other  descen- 
dants of  Adam  have  incurred  its  guilt  (Rom.  5,  18). 
He  prayed  for  the  most  pure  Lady  and  for  saint  Joseph, 
asking  eternal  salvation  for  them.  All  these  acts,  and 
many  others,  were  most  exalted  and  proceeded  from 
Him  as  true  God  and  Man.  Not  taking  into  account 
those  that  pertain  to  the  beatific  vision  and  love,  these 
acts  and  each  one  by  itself,  were  of  such  merit  that  they 
alone  would  have  sufficed  to  redeem  infinite  worlds,  if 
such  could  exist. 

148.  Even  the  act  of  obedience  alone,  by  which  the 
most  holy  humanity  of  the  Word  subjected  itself  to  suf- 
fering and  prevented  the  glory  of  his  soul  from  being 
communicated  to  his  body,  was  abundantly  sufficient  for 
our  salvation.  But  although  this  sufficed  for  our  salva- 
tion, nothing  would  satisfy  his  immense  love  for  men 
except  the  full  limit  of  effective  love  (John  13,  1)  ;  for 


120  CITY    OF    GOD 

this  was  the  purpose  of  his  life,  that  He  should  consume 
it  in  demonstrations  and  tokens  of  such  intense  love, 
that  neither  the  understanding  of  men  nor  of  angels  was 
able  to  comprehend  it.  And  if  in  the  first  instant  of  his 
entrance  into  the  world  He  enriched  it  so  immeasur- 
ably, what  treasures,  what  riches  of  merits  must  He 
have  stored  up  for  it,  when  He  left  it  by  his  Passion  and 
Death  on  the  cross  after  thirty-three  years  of  labor  and 
activity  all  divine!  O  immense  love!  O  charity  without 
limit  I  O  mercy  without  measure !  O  most  generous  kind- 
ness! and,  on  the  other  hand,  O  ingratitude  and  base 
forgetfulness  of  mortals  in  the  face  of  such  unheard  of 
and  such  vast  benefaction!  What  would  have  become 
of  us  without  Him?  How  much  less  could  we  do  for  this 
our  Redeemer  and  Lord,  even  if  He  had  conferred  on 
us  but  small  favors,  while  now  we  are  scarcely  moved 
and  obliged  by  his  doing  for  us  all  that  He  could?  If 
we  do  not  wish  to  treat  as  a  Redeemer  Him,  who  has 
given  us  eternal  life  and  liberty,  let  us  at  least  hear  Him 
as  our  Teacher,  let  us  follow  Him  as  our  Leader,  as  our 
guiding  light,  which  shows  us  the  way  to  our  true  hap- 
piness. 

149.  This  Lord  and  Master  did  not  work  for  Himself, 
nor  did  He  preempt  his  soul,  nor  gain  this  augmentation 
of  grace,  for  Himself,  but  entirely  for  us.  He  had  no 
need  of  all  this,  nor  could  He  receive  an  increase  of 
grace  or  glory,  since  He  was  filled  with  them  (John  1, 
14),  as  saint  John  says;  for  He  was  the  Onlybegotten 
of  the  Father  at  the  same  time  that  He  was  man.  In 
this  He  had  no  equal,  nor  could  He  have  an  imitator. 
All  the  saints  and  mere  creatures  gained  merits  for 
themselves  and  labored  for  reward;  the  love  of  Christ 
alone  was  without  self  interest  and  altogether  for  us. 
And  if  He  wished  to  enter  and  go  through  the  school 


THE    INCARNATION  121 

of  bodily  experience  of  this  life  (Luke  2,  52),  it  was 
in  order  to  teach  us  and  enrich  us  by  his  obedience  (Heb. 
5,  8),  while  He  turned  over  to  us  his  infinite  merits  and 
his  example,  in  order  that  we  might  be  wisely  instructed 
in  the  art  of  loving-.  For  this  is  not  learned  perfectly  by 
affection  and  desire,  unless  it  is  truly  and  effectively 
practiced  in  deeds.  I  do  not  enlarge  upon  the  mysteries 
of  the  most  holy  life  of  Christ  our  Lord,  on  account  of 
my  incapacity,  and  I  refer  to  the  Gospels,  selecting  only 
that  which  will  seem  necessary  for  the  heavenly  history 
of  his  Mother,  our  Lady.  For  the  lives  of  this  Son  and 
his  most  holy  Mother  are  so  intimately  connected  and 
intertwined  with  each  other,  that  I  cannot  avoid  making 
references  to  the  Gospels  and  besides  add  other  facts, 
which  are  not  mentioned  by  them  concerning  the  Lord 
and  which  were  not  necessary  in  their  narratives  for 
the  first  ages  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

150.  These  operations  of  Christ  our  Lord  in  the  first 
instant  of  his  conception  were  followed,  in  another  es- 
sential instant,  by  the  beatific  vision  of  the  Divinity, 
which  we  have  mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter  (No. 
139)  ;  for  in  one  instant  of  time  many  instants  of  essence 
can  take  place.  In  this  vision  the  heavenly  Lady  per- 
ceived with  clearness  and  distinction  the  mystery  of  the 
hypostatic  union  of  the  divine  and  the  human  natures  in 
the  person  of  the  eternal  Word,  and  the  most  holy 
Trinity  confirmed  Her  in  the  title  and  the  rights  of 
Mother  of  God.  This  in  all  rigor  of  truth  She  was, 
since  She  was  the  natural  Mother  of  a  Son,  who  was 
eternal  God  with  the  same  certainty  and  truth  as  He  was 
man.  Although  this  great  Lady  did  not  directly  co- 
operate in  the  union  of  the  Divinity  with  the  humanity. 
She  did  not  on  this  account  lose  her  right  to  be  called 
the  Mother  of  the  true  God;  for  She  concurred  by  ad- 


122  CITY    OF    GOD 

ministering  the  material  and  by  exerting  her  faculties, 
as  far  as  it  pertained  to  a  true  Mother ;  and  to  a  greater 
extent  than  to  ordinary  mothers,  since  in  Her  the  con- 
ception and  the  generation  took  place  without  the  aid 
of  a  man.  Just  as  in  other  generations  the  agents, 
which  bring  them  about  in  the  natural  course,  are  called 
father  and  mother,  each  furnishing  that  which  is  neces- 
sary, without  however  concurring  directly  in  the  crea- 
tion of  the  soul,  nor  in  its  infusion  into  the  body  of  the 
child;  so  also,  and  with  greater  reason,  most  holy  Mary 
must  be  called,  and  did  call  Herself,  Mother  of  God; 
for  She  alone  concurred  in  the  generation  of  Christ, 
true  God  and  Man,  as  a  Mother,  to  the  exclusion  of  any 
other  natural  cause;  and  only  through  this  concurrence 
of  Mary  in  the  generation,  Christ,  the  Man-God,  was 
bom. 

151.  The  Virgin  Mother  of  Christ  also  understood  in 
this  vision  the  future  mysteries  of  the  life  and  death  of 
her  sweetest  Son  and  of  the  Redemption  of  the  human 
race,  together  with  those  of  the  new  law  of  the  Gospel, 
which  was  to  be  established  in  connection  therewith.  To 
Her  were  also  manifested  other  great  and  profound 
secrets,  which  were  made  known  to  none  other  of  the 
saints.  The  most  prudent  Queen,  seeing  Herself  thus 
in  the  immediate  presence  of  the  Deity  and  furnished 
with  the  plenitude  of  divine  gifts  and  science  as  became 
the  Mother  of  the  Word,  lost  in  humility  and  love, 
adored  the  Lord  in  his  infinite  essence,  and  without  de- 
lay also  in  its  union  with  the  most  holy  humanity.  She 
gave  Him  thanks  for  having  favored  Her  with  the  dig- 
nity of  Mother  of  God  and  for  the  favors  done  to  the 
whole  human  race.  She  gave  thanks  and  glory  also  for 
all  the  mortals.  She  offered  Herself  as  an  acceptable 
sacrifice  in  his  service,  in  the  rearing  up  and  nourishing 


THE   INCARNATION  123 

of  her  sweetest  Son,  ready  to  assist  and  co-operate 
(as  far  as  on  her  part  it  would  be  possible),  in  the  work 
of  the  Redemption;  and  the  holy  Trinity  accepted  and 
appointed  Her  as  the  Coadjutrix  in  this  sacrament.  She 
asked  for  new  graces  and  divine  light  for  this  purpose 
and  for  directing  Herself  in  the  worthy  ministration  of 
Her  office  as  Mother  of  the  incarnate  Word,  that  She 
might  treat  Him  with  the  veneration  and  magnanimity 
due  to  God  himself.  She  offered,  to  her  holiest  Son  all 
the  children  of  Adam  yet  to  be  born  and  the  saints  of 
limbo;  and  in  the  name  of  all  and  of  Herself  She  per- 
formed many  acts  of  heroic  virtue  and  asked  for  great 
favors,  which  however  I  will  not  stop  to  mention,  as  I 
have  already  done  in  regard  to  others  on  different  occa- 
sions. For  from  these  it  can  easily  be  conjectured  what 
petitions  this  heavenly  Queen  made  on  this  occasion, 
which  so  far  excelled  all  the  other  fortunate  and  happy 
days  of  her  previous  life. 

152.  But  She  was  especially  persistent  and  fervent 
in  her  prayer  to  obtain  guidance  of  the  Almighty  for 
the  worthy  fulfillment  of  her  office  as  Mother  of  the 
Onlybegotten  of  the  Father.  For  this,  before  all  other 
graces,  Her  humble  heart  urged  Her  to  desire,  and  this 
was  especially  the  subject  of  her  solicitude,  that  She 
might  be  guided  in  all  her  actions  as  becomes  the  Mother 
of  God.  The  Almighty  answered  Her:  "My  Dove,  do 
not  fear,  for  I  will  assist  thee  and  guide  thee,  directing 
thee  in  all  things  necessary  for  the  service  of  my  only- 
begotten  Son."  With  this  promise  She  came  to  Herself 
and  issued  from  her  ecstasy,  in  which  all  that  I  have 
said  had  happened,  and  which  was  the  most  wonderful 
She  ever  had.  Restored  to  her  faculties,  her  first  action 
was  to  prostrate  Herself  on  the  earth  and  adore  her 
holiest   Son,   God  and   Man,  conceived   in  her  virginal 


124  CITY    OF   GOD 

womb;  for  this  She  had  not  yet  done  with  her  external 
and  bodily  senses  and  faculties.  Nothing  that  She  could 
do  in  the  service  of  her  Creator,  did  this  most  prudent 
Mother  leave  undone.  From  that  time  on  She  was  con- 
scious of  feeling  new  and  divine  effects  in  her  holiest 
soul  and  in  her  exterior  and  interior  faculties.  And 
although  the  whole  tenor  of  her  life  had  been  most 
noble  both  as  regards  her  body  as  her  soul ;  yet  on  this 
day  of  the  incarnation  of  the  Word  it  rose  to  still  greater 
nobility  of  spirit  and  was  made  more  godlike  by  still 
higher  reaches  of  grace  and  indescribable  gifts. 

153.  But  let  no  one  think  that  the  purest  Mother  was 
thus  favored  and  so  closely  united  with  the  humanity 
and  Divinity  of  her  holiest  Son,  only  in  order  to  con- 
tinue to  enjoy  spiritual  delights  and  pleasures,  free  from 
suffering  and  pain.  Not  so,  for  in  closest  possible  imi- 
tation of  her  sweetest  Son,  this  Lady  lived  to  share 
both  joy  and  sorrow  with  Him;  the  memory  of  what 
She  had  so  vividly  been  taught  concerning  the  labors 
and  the  death  of  her  holiest  Son,  was  like  a  sword 
piercing  her  heart.  This  sorrow  was  proportionate  to 
the  knowledge  and  love,  which  such  a  Mother  had  of 
such  a  Son,  and  which  his  presence  and  intercourse  so 
continually  recalled  to  her  mind.  Although  the  whole 
life  of  Christ  and  of  his  most  holy  Mother  was  a  con- 
tinued martyrdom  and  suffering  like  that  of  the  cross, 
and  was  filled  with  incessant  pain  and  labors;  yet  in 
the  most  pure  and  loving  heart  of  the  heavenly  Queen 
there  was  also  this  special  feature  of  suffering,  that  to 
her  inward  sight  as  a  most  loving  Mother,  the  passion, 
torments,  ignominies  and  death  of  her  Son  were  for- 
ever present.  And  by  this  continued  sorrow  of  thirty- 
three  years  She  took  upon  Herself  the  long  vigil  of  our 
Redemption  and  during  all  this  time  this  sacrament  was 


THE   INCARNATION  125 

concealed  in  her  bosom  without  companionship  or  allevi- 
ation from  any  creatures. 

154.  With  this  loving  sorrow,  full  of  the  sweetest  an- 
guish, She  often  looked  upon  her  holiest  Son  both  be- 
fore and  after  his  birth,  and  speaking  to  Him  from  her 
innermost  heart.  She  would  repeat  these  words:  "Lord 
and  God  of  my  soul,  most  sweet  Son  of  my  womb,  why 
hast  Thou  given  me  the  position  as  Mother  and  yet 
connected  with  it  the  sorrowful  thought  of  losing  Thee, 
leaving  me  an  orphan,  bereft  of  thy  desirable  company? 
Scarcely  art  Thou  put  in  possession  of  a  body  for  thy 
earthly  life,  when  Thou  art  notified  of  the  sentence  of 
a  sorrowful  death  for  the  rescue  of  men.  The  first  of 
thy  actions  is  one  of  superabundant  merit  in  satisfaction 
for  his  sins.  O  would  that  the  justice  of  the  eternal 
Father  were  thereby  satisfied  and  thy  sufferings  and 
death  fall  upon  me!  From  my  body  and  blood  Thou 
hast  composed  thine  own,  without  which  it  would  not 
be  possible  for  Thee  to  suffer,  since  Thou  art  the  im- 
mutable and  immortal  God.  If  therefore  I  have  fur- 
nished Thee  the  instrument  or  the  matter  of  thy  suffer- 
ings, let  me  too  suffer  with  Thee  the  same  death.  O 
inhuman  sin,  how,  being  so  cruel  and  the  cause  of  so 
much  evil,  couldst  thou  nevertheless  be  so  fortunate, 
that  thy  Repairer  should  be  One,  who  on  account  of  his 
infinite  Goodness,  can  make  thee  a  "happy  fault !"  O 
my  sweetest  Son  and  my  love,  who  shall  be  thy  guard, 
who  shall  defend  Thee  from  thy  enemies?  O  would 
that  it  were  the  will  of  the  Father,  that  I  guard  Thee 
and  save  Thee  from  death,  or  die  in  thy  company,  and 
that  Thou  never  leave  mine!  But  that  which  happened 
to  the  patriarch  Abraham,  shall  not  now  take  place 
(Gen.  22,  11)  ;  for  the  predestined  decree  shall  be  exC' 
cuted.     Let  the  will  of  the  Lord  be  fulfilled."     These 

2-10 


126  CITY   OF   GOD 

loving  sighs  were  many  times  repeated  by  our  Queen,  as 
I  shall  say  farther  on,  and  the  eternal  Father  accepted 
them  as  an  agreeable  sacrifice,  while  they  were  the  sweet- 
est diversion  of  her  most  holy  Son. 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH  OUR  QUEEN  AND  I,ADY  GAVE  ME. 

155.  My  daughter,  since  thou  hast,  by  faith  and  divine 
light,  arrived  at  a  knowledge  of  the  grandeur  of  God 
and  of  his  ineffable  condescension  in  coming  down  from 
heaven  for  thee  and  for  all  the  mortals,  let  not  this 
benefit  be  for  the  idle  and  fruitless.  Adore  the  essence 
of  God  with  profound  reverence,  and  praise  Him  for 
what  thou  knowest  of  his  goodness.  Receive  not  light 
and  grace  in  vain  (II  Cor.  6,  1)  ;  and  study  the  encourag- 
ing example  given  by  my  most  holy  Son  and  myself 
in  imitation  of  Him,  as  thou  hast  come  to  be  instructed 
in  it;  for  as  He  was  the  true  God,  and  I  his  Mother 
(for  in  so  far  as  He  was  man  his  most  holy  humanity 
was  created),  let  us  humiliate  ourselves  in  the  remem- 
brance of  our  lowly  human  nature  and  confess  the  great- 
ness of  the  Divinity,  greater  than  any  creature  can  com- 
prehend. Do  this  especially  when  thou  receivest  the 
same  Lord  in  the  holy  Sacrament.  In  this  admirable 
Sacrament  my  most  holy  Son  with  Divinity  and  humanity 
comes  to  thee  and  remains  with  thee  in  a  new  and  incom- 
prehensible way.  His  great  condescension  is  manifest, 
though  it  is  little  taken  notice  of  and  respected  by 
mortals,  nor  does  it  find  the  return  due  to  such  love. 

156.  Let  then  thy  acknowledgment  be  accompanied 
with  as  much  humility,  reverence  and  worship  as  is  pos- 
sible to  thy  combined  powers  and  faculties;  for  though 
they  be  exerted  to  the  utmost  limit,  they  will  always 
fall  short  of  what  thou  owest  to  God  and  of  what  He 


THE   INCARNATION  127 

deserves.  And  in  order  that  thou  mayest  as  far  as 
possible  make  up  for  thy  deficiencies,  offer  up  that,  which 
my  most  holy  Son  and  I  have  done ;  unite  thy  spirit  and 
thy  affections  in  union  with  the  Church  triumphant  and 
militant,  offering  at  the  same  time  thy  life  as  a  sacrifice 
and  praying  that  all  nations  may  know,  confess  and  adore 
their  true  God  who  became  man  for  all.  Thank  Him  for 
the  benefits,  which  He  has  conferred  and  confers  on  all, 
whether  they  know  Him  or  not,  whether  they  confess 
or  repudiate  Him.  Above  all  I  ask  of  thee,  my  dearest, 
to  do  that  which  is  most  acceptable  to  the  Lord  and  most 
pleasing  to  me;  that  thou  grieve,  and  in  sweet  affection 
mourn  over  the  gross  ignorance  and  dangerous  tardiness 
of  the  sons  of  men;  over  the  ingratitude  also  of  the 
children  of  the  Church,  who,  having  received  the  light 
of  the  divine  faith,  yet  live  in  such  interior  forgetfulness 
of  the  works  and  benefits  of  the  Incarnation,  yea,  of  God 
himself,  and  so  much  so,  that  they  seem  to  differ  from 
infidels  only  in  some  ceremonies  and  exterior  worship. 
They  perform  these  without  spirit  or  heartiness,  many 
times  offending  and  provoking  the  divine  justice  which 
they  should  placate. 

157.  Through  this  ignorance  and  torpidity  it  happens 
that  they  are  not  prepared  to  receive  and  acquire  the 
true  science  of  the  Most  High.  They  bring  upon  them- 
selves the  loss  of  the  divine  light  and  they  deserve  to 
be  left  in  the  heavy  darkness,  making  themselves  more 
unworthy  than  the  infidels  themselves  -and  entailing  upon 
themselves  an  incomparably  greater  chastisement.  Mourn 
over  such  great  damage  of  thy  neighbors  and  pray  for 
help  from  the  bottom  of  thy  heart.  And  in  order  that 
thou  mayest  put  away  from  thy  own  self  such  formidable 
dangers,  do  not  undervalue  the  favors  and  benefits, 
which  thou  receivest,  nor,  even  under  pretense  of  humil- 


128  CITY   OF   GOD 

ity,  belittle  or  forget  them.  Remember  and  consider  how 
distant  was  the  journey,  which  the  grace  of  the  Most 
High  has  made  in  order  to  call  thee  (Ps.  18,  7).  Pon- 
der in  thy  mind,  how  it  has  waited  upon  thee  and  con- 
soled thee,  assured  thee  in  thy  doubts,  quieted  thee  in 
thy  fears,  ignored  and  pardoned  thy  faults,  multiplied 
favors,  caresses  and  blessings.  I  assure  thee,  my  daugh- 
ter, that  thou  must  confess  in  thy  heart,  that  the  Most 
High  has  not  done  such  things  with  any  other  genera- 
tion; thou  of  thyself  canst  do  nothing;  thou  art  poor 
and  more  useless  than  others.  L«t  then  thy  thanks  be 
greater  than  that  of  all  the  creatures. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AN  EXPLANATION  OF  THE  STATE  IN  WHICH  MOST  HOLY 
MARY  FOUND  HERSELF  AFTER  THE  INCARNATION  O? 
THE  DIVINE  WORD  IN   HER  VIRGINAL  WOMB. 

158.  The  deeper  I  begin  to  understand  the  divine  ef- 
fects and  conditions  which  were  caused  by  the  concep- 
tion of  the  eternal  Word  in  the  Queen  of  heaven,  the 
more  am  I  involved  in  the  difficulties  of  describing  this 
event.  For  I  find  myself  immersed  in  exalted  and  com- 
plicated mysteries,  while  my  intellect  and  my  power  of 
expression  are  entirely  insufficient  for  encompassing  what 
is  presented  to  me.  Nevertheless  my  soul  experiences 
such  great  sweetness  and  such  delight  in  spite  of  this 
deficiency,  that  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  repent  entirely 
of  my  undertaking;  at  the  same  time  obedience  animates 
me  and  also  compels  me  to  overcome  the  hardships, 
which  in  a  weak  and  womanly  mind  would  be  insuper- 
able, if  the  assurance  and  encouragement  coming  from 
this  source  would  not  assist  me.  This  is  true  especially 
of  this  chapter,  in  which  I  am  to  treat  of  the  gifts  of 
glory  enjoyed  by  the  blessed  in  heaven.  Taking  their 
prerogatives  as  models  I  will  try  to  describe  the  state  of 
the  heavenly  Empress  Mary  after  becoming  the  Mother 
of  God. 

159.  For  this  purpose  I  will  speak  of  the  blessed  from 
two  points  of  view :  of  their  own  perfection  and  of  their 
relation  to  God.  As  regards  the  latter,  the  Divinity  is 
made  clear  and  manifest  to  them  with  all  its  perfections 
and  attributes.     This  is  called  the  object  of  their  beati- 

129 


130  CITY   OF   GOD 

tude,  their  glory,  the  substantial  joy,  the  ultimate 
end,  wherein  the  whole  creature  finds  its  adequate  end 
and  rest.  On  the  part  of  the  saints  there  are  the  beatific 
operations  of  vision  and  love,  and  of  others  necessarily 
connected  with  that  most  happy  state,  which  neither  the 
eyes  have  seen,  nor  ears  have  heard,  nor  can  enter  into 
the  thoughts  of  men  (Is.  64,  4;  I  Cor.  2,  29).  Among 
the  gifts  and  prerogatives  of  this  glory  of  the  saints, 
some  are  called  endowments  freely  given  as  to  a  spouse 
entering  upon  the  spiritual  matrimony,  which  is  con- 
summated in  the  joys  of  the  eternal  felicity.  Just  as 
the  earthly  spouse  acquires  possession  and  dominion  of 
her  endowments  and  enjoys  in  common  with  her  hus- 
band the  use  of  them,  so  also  in  glory  these  gifts  are 
made  to  the  saints  as  their  own,  while  their  use  is  com- 
mon both  to  them,  in  as  far  as  they  themselves  rejoice 
in  them,  and  to  God,  in  as  far  as  He  is  glorified  in  them 
by  the  saints.  And  these  ineffable  gifts  are  more  or 
less  excellent  according  to  the  merits  and  the  dignities  of 
each.  But  they  are  not  given  to  those,  who  are  not  of  the 
same  nature  as  the  Spouse,  namely  Christ  our  Lord; 
hence  only  to  men,  not  to  angels.  For  the  incarnate 
Word  has  not  entered  into  any  espousals  with  the  angels, 
(Heb.  2,  16)  as  He  has  done  with  men,  by  uniting  Him- 
self with  them  in  that  great  sacrament  mentioned  by  the 
Apostle,  (Eph.  5,  32),  in  Christ  and  in  the  Church.  Since, 
however,  the  Bridegroom  Christ,  as  man,  is  composed 
of  body  and  soul,  just  like  the  rest  of  men,  therefore 
both  body  and  soul  are  to  be  glorified  in  his  presence 
and  the  gifts  of  glory  are  both  for  the  body  and  the 
soul.  Three  of  these  gifts  pertain  to  the  soul  and  they 
are  called  vision,  comprehension  and  fruition;  and  four 
pertain   to   the  body:   clearness,   impassibility,   subtility 


THE   INCARNATION  131 

and  agility,  and  these  are  properly  the  effects  of  intuitive 
vision  overflowing  from  the  glory  of  the  soul. 

160.  In  all  these  gifts  our  Queen  Mary  participated 
to  a  certain  extent  already  in  this  life;  especially  after 
the  Incarnation  of  the  Word  in  her  virginal  womb.  It 
is  true  that  these  gifts  are  given  to  the  saints  as  com- 
prehensors,  being  pledges  and  dowries  of  the  eternal  and 
imperishable  felicity,  and  as  it  were  securities  for 
the  unchangeableness  of  their  state.  On  that  account 
they  are  not  conferred  upon  those  still  on  the  way  to 
heaven.  But  upon  holy  Mary  these  gifts  were  conferred 
as  a  viator;  hence  not  as  on  a  comprehensor,  not  per- 
manently, but  from  time  to  time  and  step  by  step,  and 
with  a  certain  difference,  as  we  shall  explain.  In  order 
that  the  appropriateness  of  this  rare  blessing  in  the 
sovereign  Queen  may  be  the  better  understood,  let  that, 
which  I  have  said  in  the  seventh  and  following  chapters 
before  the  Incarnation,  be  remembered;  for  there  the 
preparation  and  espousal  with  which  the  Most  High 
favored  his  most  blessed  Mother  in  accordance  with 
her  dignity,  are  explained.  On  the  day  in  which  the 
divine  Lord  assumed  human  nature  in  her  virginal  womb, 
this  spiritual  marriage,  as  far  as  the  heavenly  Lady  is 
concerned,  was  consummated  by  that  most  exalted  afid 
exquisite  beatific  vision,  which,  as  we  have  said,  was 
then  vouchsafed  to  Her.  But  for  the  other  faithful  the 
Incarnation  was  as  it  were  an  espousal,  which  is  to  be 
consummated  in  their  heavenly  fatherland  (Osea  2,  19). 

16L  Our  great  Queen  possessed  another  prerequisite 
for  these  privileges:  She  was  exempt  from  all  stain  of 
original  and  actual  sin  and  was  confirmed  in  grace  by 
actual  impeccability.  Thus  She  was  capable  of  celebrat- 
ing this  marriage  in  the  name  of  the  Church  militant 
and  to  make  promises  in  the  name  of  all  its  members 


132  CITY    OF   GOD 

(Eph.  5,  32)  ;  for  in  this  matter,  as  She  was  the  Mother 
of  the  Savior,  his  foreseen  merits  found  their  apphca- 
tion  through  Her.  By  her  transient  vision  of  the  glory 
of  the  Divinity,  She  became  the  accepted  surety  for  all 
the  children  of  Adam,  that  this  same  reward  will  not 
be  denied  to  any  of  those,  who  shall  use  the  grace  of 
their  Redeemer  to  merit  it.  The  divine  incarnate  Word 
certainly  was  highly  pleased  to  find,  that  his  most  burn- 
ing love  and  his  infinite  merits  should  immediately  bear 
fruit  in  Her,  who  at  the  same  time  was  his  Mother,  his 
first  Spouse  and  the  bridal  chamber  of  his  Divinity; 
and  that  his  rewards  should  fall  upon  One,  in  whom 
there  was  no  hindrance.  By  conferring  these  privileges 
and  favors  upon  his  most  holy  Mother,  Christ  our  Salva- 
tion, indulged  and  partly  satiated  his  love  for  Her  and 
in  Her,  for  all  the  mortals ;  too  long  a  delay  did  it  seem 
to  the  divine  love,  to  wait  thirty-three  years  until  He 
should  manifest  his  Divinity  to  his  own  Mother.  Al- 
though He  had  shown  Her  this  favor  at  other  times, 
as  related  in  the  first  part  (No.  382,  429),  yet  on  this 
occasion  of  his  Incarnation  He  did  it  in  a  more  excel- 
lent manner;  one  which  corresponded  with  the  glory, 
of  his  most  holy  soul.  However,  all  this  in  Her  was 
not  permanent,  but  renewed  from  moment  to  moment 
with  the  flow  of  time,  in  as  far  as  was  compatible  with 
the  ordinary  state  of  pilgrimage. 

162.  Conformably  to  this,  God,  on  the  day  in  which 
most  holy  Mary  assumed  the  position  of  Mother  of  the 
eternal  Word  by  conceiving  Him  in  Her  womb,  invested 
us  with  a  right  to  our  Redemption,  founded  upon  the 
espousal  of  the  human  nature  with  Himself.  In  the 
consummation  of  this  spiritual  marriage  by  the  beatifica- 
tion of  the  most  holy  Mary  and  the  conferring  upon 
Her  the  gifts  of  glory,  the  same  reward  was  also  prom- 


THE   INCARNATION  133 

Ised  to  us,  if  we  should  make  ourselves  worthy  of  it 
through  the  merits  of  his  most  holy  Son,  our  Redeemer. 
But  so  far  did  the  Lord  raise  his  Mother  above  all  the 
glory  of  the  saints  in  the  blessings  of  this  day,  that  all 
the  angels  and  men,  even  in  their  highest  reaches  of 
beatific  vision  and  love,  cannot  attain  to  that  which  the 
heavenly  Queen  then  attained;  the  same  must  also  be 
said  of  the  gifts  of  glory,  which  overflowed  from  the 
soul  to  her  body;  for  all  of  them  corresponded  with  her 
innocence,  holiness  and  merits,  and  these  again  corre- 
spond with  that  highest  of  all  dignities  possible  to  a  crea- 
ture: that  of  being  the  Mother  of  her  Creator. 

163.  Coming  now  to  these  gifts  in  particular,  the  first 
gift  to  her  soul  was  the  clear  and  beatific  vision,  which 
corresponds  to  the  obscure  knowledge  of  faith  in  the 
viators.  This  vision  was  given  to  the  most  holy  Mary 
at  the  times  and  in  the  manner  already  explained  and 
to  be  explained  later.  Besides  these  intuitive  visions. 
She  had  many  other  abstractive  ones  of  the  Divinity, 
of  the  kind  mentioned  above.  Although  all  these  were 
transient,  yet  they  left  in  her  mind  most  exquisite  and 
various  images  furnishing  Her  with  such  a  clear  and 
exalted  knowledge  of  the  Divinity,  that  no  words  can 
be  found  to  express  it.  In  this  our  Lady  was  singularly 
privileged  before  all  other  creatures,  and  thus  She  pos- 
sessed the  permanent  effects  of  the  gifts  of  glory  as  far 
as  compatible  with  her  position  as  viator.  When  at 
times  the  Lord  hid  himself  from  Her,  suspending  the 
use  of  these  images  for  certain  high  ends.  She  made  use 
of  infused  faith,  which  in  Her  was  superexcellent  and 
most  efficacious.  In  such  manner,  one  way  or  the  other, 
her  soul  never  lost  sight  of  that  divine  Object,  nor  wan- 
dered from  It  even  for  a  moment.  However,  during 
the  nine  months  in  which  She  bore  in  her  womb  the 


134  CITY   OF   GOD 

incarnate  Word,  She    enjoyed  even  greater  visions  arid 
gifts  of  the  Divinity. 

164.  The  second  of  these  gifts  is  comprehension,  pos- 
session or  apprehension.  This  consists  in  the  attainment 
of  the  end,  corresponding  to  the  virtue  of  hope,  whereby 
we  seek  after  the  final  Object  in  order  to  possess  It 
without  danger  of  ever  losing  It.  This  possession  and 
comprehension  in  most  holy  Mary  corresponded  to  the 
visions  mentioned ;  because  seeing  the  Divinity,  She  pos- 
sessed It,  Whenever  She  depended  on  faith  alone,  hope 
was  in  Her  more  firm  and  secure  than  in  any  other 
creature;  and  more  than  this;  for,  as  the  security  of 
possession  in  the  creature  is  founded  to  a  great  extent 
upon  sanctity  and  impeccability,  our  heavenly  Lady  on 
this  account  was  so  privileged,  that  the  firmness  and 
security  of  her  possession  of  God,  although  She  was  a 
pilgrim,  equaled  in  certain  respects  the  firmness  and 
security  of  the  blessed.  For  on  account  of  her  stainless 
and  unimpeachable  sanctity  She  was  assured  of  never 
losing  God;  although  the  cause  of  this  security  in  Her 
as  Viatrix  was  not  the  same  as  in  the  glorified  saints. 
During  the  months  of  her  pregnancy  She  enjoyed  this 
possession  of  God  in  various  ways  by  special  and  won- 
derful graces,  through  which  the  Most  High  manifested 
Himself  and  united  Himself  to  her  most  pure  Soul. 

165.  The  third  gift  is  fruition,  which  corresponds  to 
charity,  since  charity  does  not  cease  but  is  perfected  in 
glory  (I  Cor.  13,  8)  ;  for  fruition  consists  in  loving  the 
highest  Good  possessed  by  us.  This  is  the  charity  of 
heaven,  that,  just  as  God  is  known  and  possessed  as  He 
is  in  Himself,  so  also  He  is  loved  for  his  own  sake.  True, 
even  now,  while  we  are  yet  viators,  we  love  Him  for  his 
own  sake ;  but  there  is  a  great  difference.  Now  we  love 
him  in  desire  and  we  know  Him  not  as  He  is  in  Himself, 


THE   INCARNATION  135 

but  as  He  is  represented  to  us  by  incongruous  images 
or  by  enigmas  (I  Cor.  13,  12;  John  3,  2)  ;  therefore  our 
love  is  not  perfected,  nor  do  we  rest  in  it,  or  find  the 
plenitude  of  delight  therein,  though  there  is  much  to  in- 
cite us.  But  in  the  clear  vision  and  possession  we  shall 
see  Him  as  He  is  in  Himself  and  we  shall  see  Him 
through  Himself,  not  through  enigmas;  thus  we  shall 
love  Him  as  He  should  be  loved  and  as  far  as  we  can 
love  Him  respectively;  our  love  will  be  perfected  and 
the  fruition  of  Him  will  be  satiated,  without  leaving  any- 
thing to  be  desired. 

166.  Most  holy  Mary  participated  in  this  fruition  more 
abundantly  than  in  any  other;  for  even  though  her  most 
ardent  love  might,  in  a  certain  respect,  have  been  inferior 
to  that  of  the  blessed  whenever  She  was  without  the 
clear  vision  of  the  Divinity,  yet  it  was  superior  in  many 
other  points  of  excellence,  even  while  remaining  in  the 
lower  state.  No  one  ever  possessed  the  divine  science 
in  the  same  degree  as  this  Lady,  and  by  it  She  under- 
stood how  God  is  to  be  loved  for  Himself.  This  science 
was  perfected  by  the  memory  of  what  She  had  seen  and 
enjoyed  higher  in  degree  than  the  angels.  And  as  her 
love-  was  nourished  by  this  knowledge  of  God,  it  neces- 
sarily exceeded  that  of  the  blessed  in  all  that  did  not 
pertain  to  immediate  fruition  and  unchangeableness  as 
to  increase  or  augmentation.  On  account  of  her  pro- 
found humility  the  Lord  condescended  to  an  arrange- 
ment, whereby  She  could  act  as  a  Viatrix  remaining 
in  a  holy  fear  of  displeasing  her  Beloved.  This  burning 
love  was  of  the  most  perfect  kind  and  tended  entirely  to- 
ward God  himself;  it  caused  in  Her  ineffable  joy  and 
delight,  proportioned  to  the  excellence  of  her  love. 

167.  In  regard  to  the  gifts  of  the  body,  redounding 
from  the  gifts  of  glory,  and  other  gifts  of  the  soul  con- 


136  CITY   OF   GOD 

stituting"  the  accidental  part  of  the  glory  of  the  blessed, 
I  will  say,  that  they  serve  for  the  perfection  of  the 
glorious  bodies  in  the  activity  of  their  senses  and  motive 
powers.  By  them  the  bodies  are  assimilated  to  the  soul 
and  throw  off  the  impediments  of  their  earthly  gross- 
ness,  enabling  them  to  obey  the  wishes  of  the  souls, 
which  in  that  most  happy  state  cannot  be  imperfect  or 
opposed  to  the  will  of  God.  The  senses  require  two  gifts : 
one  to  refine  the  reception  of  sensible  images,  and  this 
is  perfected  by  the  gift  of  clearness;  the  other,  to  repel 
all  activity  or  passivity  hurtful  and  destructive  of  the 
body,  and  this  is  done  by  the  gift  of  impassibility.  Two 
other  gifts  are  required  in  order  to  perfect  the  power 
of  motion:  one,  in  order  to  overcome  the  resistance  or 
impediment  of  gravity,  furnished  by  the  gift  of  agility; 
the  other,  in  order  to  overcome  the  resistance  of  other 
bodies,  furnished  by  the  gift  of  subtlety.  With  these 
gifts  the  body  becomes  glorious,  clear,  incorruptible, 
agile  and  subtle. 

168.  In  all  these  privileges  our  great  Queen  and  Lady 
participated  during  her  mortal  life.  The  gift  of  clear- 
ness disposes  the  body  to  receive  the  light  and  at  the 
same  time  to  give  it  forth,  doing  away  with  earthly 
opaqueness  and  obscurity  and  making  it  more  transparent 
than  clearest  crystal.  Whenever  most  holy  Mary  enjoyed 
the  clear  and  beatific  vision,  her  virginal  body  partic- 
ipated in  this  privilege  in  a  measure  beyond  all  human 
calculation.  The  after-effects  of  this  purity  and  clear- 
ness would  have  been  most  wonderful  and  astounding, 
if  they  could  have  been  made  perceptible  to  the  senses. 
Sometimes  they  were  noticeable  in  her  most  beautiful  face, 
as  I  will  say  later  on,  especially  in  the  third  part;  yet 
they  were  not  known  or  perceived  by  all  who  conversed 
with  Her,  for  the  Lord  interposed  a  curtain  or  veil,  in 


THE   INCARNATION  137 

order  that  they  might  not  always  or  indiscriminately  be 
manifested.  But  in  many  respects  She  herself  enjoyed 
the  advantages  of  this  gift,  though  it  was  disguised,  sus- 
pended or  hidden  to  the  gaze  of  others ;  She  for  instance 
was  not  inconvenienced  by  earthly  opaqueness,  as  the 
rest  of  men. 

169.  Saint  Elisabeth  perceived  something  of  this  clear- 
ness, when  at  the  sight  of  Mary  she  exclaimed:  "And 
whence  is  this  to  me,  that  the  Mother  of  my  Lord  should 
come  to  me?"  (Luke  1,  43).  The  world  was  not  capable 
of  perceiving  this  sacrament  of  the  King  (Tob.  12,  7), 
nor  was  it  opportune  to  manifest  it  at  that  time.  Yet  to 
a  certain  extent  her  face  was  always  more  bright  and 
lustrous  than  that  of  other  creatures.  Also  in  other  re- 
spects it  exhibited  qualities  altogether  above  the  natural 
order  of  other  bodies,  which  produced  in  Her  a  most 
delicate  and  spiritualized  complexion,  like  that  of  an 
animated  crystal.  This  presented  to  the  touch  not  the 
asperity  natural  to  the  flesh,  but  the  softness  as  it  were 
of  the  purest  and  the  finest  silk,  so  that  I  cannot  find 
any  other  comparison  to  make  myself  understood.  Yet 
all  this  should  not  appear  strange  in  the  Mother  of  God; 
for  She  bore  Him  in  her  womb  and  She  had  seen  Him 
often,  even  face  to  face.  For  the  Israelites  could  not  look 
upon  Moses  face  to  face,  nor  bear  the  splendor,  which 
shone  forth  from  him  after  his  communication  with  the 
Lord  upon  the  mountain  (Exod.  34,  29),  though  it  was 
much  inferior  to  that  vouchsafed  to  most  holy  Mary. 
There  is  no  doubt,  that  if  God  had  not  by  a  special  provi- 
dence withheld  and  hidden  the  splendor  in  reality  due  to 
the  countenance  and  the  body  of  his  most  pure  Mother, 
it  would  have  brightened  the  world  more  than  a  thousand 
suns  combined.  None  of  the  mortals  could,  by  natural 
power,   have  sustained   its  brilliancy;  since,  even  thus 


138  CITY    OF   GOD 

restrained  and  concealed,  it  was  sufficient  to  cause  in 
them  the  same  effects,  which  saint  Dionysius  the  Areop- 
agite  experienced  in  looking  upon  Her  and  which  he 
describes  in  his  letter  to  Paul. 

170.  Impassibility  produces  in  the  glorified  body  such 
a  condition,  that  no  agent,  except  God  himself,  can  by 
any  activity  or  influence,  change  or  disturb  it,  no  matter 
how  powerful  this  activity  may  be.  Our  Queen  par- 
ticipated in  this  gift  in  two  ways :  first,  in  regard  to  the 
temperarnent  and  humors  of  the  body.  She  possessed 
these  in  such  a  delicate  measure  and  proportion,  that  She 
could  not  contract  or  suffer  any  infirmities,  nor  was 
She  subject  to  any  other  human  hardships  which  arise 
from  the  inequality  of  the  four  humors,  being  in  this 
regard  as  it  were  almost  impassible.  Secondly,  in  re- 
gard to  the  dominion  and  commanding  power,  which 
She  had  over  all  the  creatures,  as  mentioned  above, 
(No.  13,  18,  43,  56,  60)  ;  for  none  of  them  had  power  to 
act  contrary  to  her  will  and  consent.  We  can  add  still 
another  participation  of  impassibility:  the  assistance  of 
the  divine  power  in  proportion  to  her  innocence.  For,  if 
it  is  said,  that  the  first  parents  in  paradise  could  not 
suffer  a  violent  death  as  long  as  they  persevered  in  orig- 
inal justice,  it  must  not  be  understood  to  mean  that  they 
enjoyed  this  privilege  by  intrinsic  or  inherent  powers 
(for  if  a  lance  would  have  wounded  them  they  could 
die),  but  they  enjoyed  it  through  the  assistance  of 
the  Lord,  who  would  always  prevent  them  from  being 
wounded.  If  then  the  first  parents  possessed  this  priv- 
ilege and  could  transmit  it  to  their  descendants  as  their 
servants  and  vassals,  it  was  due,  by  a  much  better  title, 
to  the  innocence  of  the  sovereign  Mary;  and  so  in  truth 
was  She  endowed  with  it. 

171.  Our  most  humble  Queen  made  no  use  of  these 


THE    INCARNATION  139 

privileges,  for  She  renounced  them  in  imitation  of  her 
most  holy  Son  and  in  order  to  labor  and  gain  merits 
for  our  benefit;  in  spite  of  them  She  wished  to  suffer 
and  She  really  suffered  more  than  the  martyrs.  Human 
intellect  cannot  weigh  correctly  the  greatness  of  these 
labors.  We  shall  speak  of  them  throughout  this  heavenly 
history,  leaving  much  more  untold,  for  common  language 
and  words  cannot  encompass  them.  But  I  must  advert 
to  two  things:  first,  that  the  sufferings  of  our  Queen 
bore  no  relation  to  any  sins  of  her  own,  for  She  had 
none  to  atone  for;  and  therefore  She  suffered  none  of 
the  bitterness,  which  is  mixed  with  pains  endured  in 
the  memory  and  consciousness  of  our  own  guilt  of  sins 
committed.  Secondly:  that  in  her  sufferings  She  was 
divinely  sustained  in  accordance  with  the  ardors  of  her 
love,  for  She  could  not  naturally  endure  so  much  suf- 
ferings, as  her  love  called  for,  or  as  much  as,  on  ac- 
count of  this  very  love,  the  Lord  allowed  Her  to  endure. 
172.  Subtility  is  a  gift,  which  takes  away  from  the 
glorified  body  the  density  or  grossness  natural  to  quanti- 
tative matter  and  which  enables  it  to  penetrate  other 
bodies  and  to  occupy  the  same  place  with  them.  The 
subtilized  bodies  of  the  blessed  therefore  are  endowed 
with  qualities  peculiar  to  the  spirit  and  can  without 
difficulty  penetrate  the  quantitative  matter  of  other 
bodies.  Without  dividing  or  separating  them  it  can 
occupy  the  same  place.  Thus  our  Lord's  body,  coming 
forth  from  the  grave  (Matth.  28,  2)  and  entering  the 
closed  doors  (John  20,  19),  penetrated  the  material  en- 
closing these  places.  Most  holy  Mary  participated  in 
this  gift  not  only  while  She  enjoyed  the  beatific  visions, 
but  also  otherwise  according  to  her  will  and  desire,  as 
happened  many  times  in  her  life  in  her  bodily  appear- 
ances to  some  persons,   of  which  we  shall  yet  relate; 


140  CITY    OF   GOD 

for  in  all  these  She  made  use  of  her  gift  of  subtlety 
penetrating  other  bodies. 

173.  The  last  gift  of  the  body  enables  the  glorified 
body  to  move  from  place  to  place  instantly  and  without 
the  impediment  of  terrene  gravity,  in  the  manner  of  pure 
spirits,  which  move  by  their  own  volition.  Mary  most 
holy  possessed  a  continual  and  wonderful  participation 
in  this  agility,  especially  as  a  direct  result  of  the  divine 
visions.  She  did  not  feel  in  her  body  the  force  of  weight 
and  gravity;  therefore  She  could  walk  without  feeling 
the  inconvenience  usual  to  that  kind  of  exercise ;  She  could 
move  about  with  instantaneous  speed,  without  feeling  any 
shock  or  fatigue  as  we  would  feel.  All  this  belonged 
naturally  to  the  quality  and  condition  of  her  body,  so 
spiritualized  and  well-formed.  During  the  time  of  her 
pregnancy  She  felt  even  less  the  weight  of  her  body; 
although,  in  order  to  bear  her  share  of  labors,  She  al- 
lowed hardships  to  produce  their  effect.  She  was  so  ad- 
mirable and  perfect  in  the  possession  and  use  of  these 
privileges,  that  I  find  myself  wanting  in  words  to  ex- 
press all  that  has  been  made  manifest  to  me  concerning 
them;  for  it  exceeds  all  that  I  have  said  or  am  able  to 
say. 

174.  Queen  of  heaven  and  my  Mistress,  since  Thou 
hast  condescended  to  adopt  me  as  thy  daughter,  thy 
word  will  remain  a  pledge,  that  Thou  wilt  be  my  Guide 
and  Teacher.  Relying  on  this  promise  I  presume  to 
propose  a  difficulty,  in  which  I  find  myself :  How  does  it 
come,  my  Mother  and  Lady,  that  thy  most  blessed  soul, 
after  it  had  enjoyed  the  clear  intuition  of  God  accord^ 
ing  to  the  disposition  of  his  Majesty,  did  not  remain  in 
the  state  of  blessedness?  And  why  can  we  not  say, 
that  Thou  didst  remain  in  this  state  of  beatitude,  since 
there  Was  no  sin  nor  any  other  obstacle  to  this  state 


THE   INCARNATION  141 

in  Thee,  accordingf  to  the  dignity  and  sanctity  revealed 
to  me  by  the  supernatural  light? 


ANSWER  AND  EXPLANATION  OE  OUR  QUEEN  AND  LADY. 

175.  My  dearest  daughter,  thou  doubtest  as  one  that 
loves  me  and  askest  as  one  not  knowing.  Consider  then, 
that  the  perpetuity  and  durability  of  blessedness  and 
felicity  is  destined  for  the  saints,  since  their  happiness  is 
to  be  entirely  perfect;  if  it  would  last  only  for  some 
time,  it  would  be  wanting  in  the  completeness  and  ade- 
quacy necessary  for  constituting  it  as  the  highest  and 
most  perfect  happiness.  At  the  same  time  it  is  incom- 
patible with  the  common  law  and  ordinary  course,  that 
the  creature  be  glorified  and  at  the  same  time  be  subject 
to  sufferings,  even  though  it  be  without  sin.  If  this  law 
did  not  hold  good  with  my  most  holy  Son  (John  1,  18), 
it  was  became  He  was  at  the  same  time  God  and  man 
and  it  was  not  befitting  that  his  most  holy  soul,  being 
hypostatically  united  with  the  Divinity,  should  be  with- 
out the  beatific  vision ;  and  as  He  was  at  the  same  time 
Redeemer  of  the  human  race.  He  could  not  suffer  nor 
pay  the  debt  of  sin,  that  is  pain,  if  He  had  not  possessed 
a  body  capable  of  suffering.  But  I  was  a  mere  creature, 
and  therefore  I  could  have  no  claim  to  the  vision,  which 
to  Him  was  due  as  a  God.  Moreover  I  could  not  be 
said  to  have  permanently  enjoyed  the  state  of  blessedness, 
because  it  was  conceded  to  me  from  one  time  to  another. 
Under  these  conditions  I  was  capable  of  suffering  at  one 
time  and  enjoying  blessedness  at  another;  moreover  it 
was  more  usual  for  me  to  suffer  and  to  gain  merits,  than 
to  be  blessed,  since  I  belonged  to  the  viators  and  not  to 
the  comprehensors. 

176.  Justly  the  Most  High    has   ordained,    that    the 

2-11 


142  CITY   OF   GOD 

blessedness  of  eternal  life  should  not  be  enjoyed  in  this 
mortal  existence  (Exod.  33,  20),  and  that  immortality 
should  be  reached  by  passing  through  existence  in  a  mor- 
tal body  and  by  gaining  merits  in  a  state  of  suffering, 
such  as  is  the  present  Hfe  of  men  (Rom.  6,  23).  Al- 
though death  in  all  the  sons  of  Adam  was  the  stipend 
and  punishment  of  sin  (Rom.  6,  23),  and  therefore 
death  and  all  the  other  effects  and  chastisements  had  no 
rights  in  me,  who  had  not  sinned;  yet  the  Most  High 
ordained,  that  I  also,  in  imitation  of  my  most  holy 
Son,  should  enter  into  felicity  and  eternal  life  by  the  death 
of  the  body  (Luke  24,  26).  There  was  nothing  in- 
congruous in  this  for  me,  but  it  afforded  me  many  ad- 
vantages, allowing  me  to  follow  the  royal  way  of  all 
men  and  gain  many  merits  and  great  glory  by  suffering 
and  dying.  Another  advantage  resulted  therefrom  for 
men,  for  they  saw  that  my  most  holy  Son  and  I  myself, 
who  was  his  Mother,  were  truly  human  as  they  them- 
selves, since  we  proved  to  them  our  mortality.  Thereby 
the  example,  which  we  left  them  became  much  more 
efficacious  and  they  would  be  induced  to  imitate  the 
life,  which  we  led  and  which  redounded  so  much  to  the 
greater  glory  and  exaltation  of  my  Son  and  Lord,  and 
of  myself.  All  this  would  have  come  to  nought,  if  the 
visions  of  the  Divinity  had  been  continuous  in  me.  How- 
ever, after  I  conceived  the  eternal  Word,  the  benefits 
and  favors  were  more  frequent  and  greater,  since  I  was 
then  brought  into  close  connection  with  Him.  This  is 
my  answer  to  thy  questions.  No  matter  how  much  thou 
hast  meditated  and  labored  in  manifesting  the  privileges 
and  their  effects  enjoyed  by  me  in  mortal  life,  thou 
wilt  never  be  able  to  comprehend  all  that  the  powerful 
arm  of  the  Omnipotent  wrought  in  me.    And  much  less 


THE    INCARNATION  143 

canst  thou  describe  in  human  words  what  thou  hast  un- 
derstood. 

177.  Now  attend  to  the  instruction,  which  I  will  give 
thee  regarding  the  preceding  chapters.  If  I  was  the 
model  to  be  imitated  in  the  way  I  responded  to  the 
coming  of  God  into  the  soul  and  into  the  world  by  show- 
ing due  reverence,  worship,  humility,  and  thankful  love, 
it  follows,  that  if  thou,  (and  in  the  same  way  the  rest 
of  the  souls),  art  solicitous  in  imitating  me,  the  Most 
High  will  come  and  produce  the  same  effects  in  thee 
as  in  myself;  though  they  may  be  not  so  great  and 
efficacious.  For  if  the  creature,  as  soon  as  it  obtains  the 
use  of  reason,  begins  to  advance  toward  the  Lord  as  it 
should,  directing  its  footsteps  in  the  path  of  life  and  sal- 
vation, his  Most  High  Majesty  will  issue  forth  to  meet  it, 
(Wis.  6,  15),  being  beforehand  with  his  favors  and 
communications;  for  to  Him  it  seems  a  long  time  to 
wait  for  the  end  of  the  pilgrimage  in  order  to  manifest 
Himself  to  his  friends. 

178.  Thus  it  happens,  that  by  means  of  faith,  hope 
and  charity,  and  by  the  worthy  reception  of  the  Sacra- 
ments, many  divine  effects,  wrought  by  his  condescen- 
sion, are  communicated  to  the  souls.  Some  are  com- 
municated according  to  the  ordinary  course  of  grace  and 
others  according  to  a  more  supernatural  and  wonderful 
order;  and  each  one  will  be  more  or  less  conformable 
to  the  disposition  of  the  soul  and  to  the  ends  intended 
by  the  Lord,  which  are  not  known  at  present.  And  if 
the  souls  do  not  place  any  obstacle  on  their  part.  He 
will  be  just  as  liberal  with  them  as  with  those  who  dis- 
pose themselves,  giving  them  greater  light  and  knowledge 
of  his  immutable  being,  and  by  a  divine  and  exceedingly 
sweet  infusion  of  grace,  transforming  them  into  a  like- 
ness of  Himself  and  communicating  to  them  many  of 


144  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  privileges  of  the  beatified.  For  after  He  is  found 
He  allows  Himself  to  be  taken  possession  of  and  enjoyed 
by  that  hidden  embrace,  which  the  Spouse  felt,  when 
She  said:  '*I  will  hold  Him  and  not  dismiss  Him" 
(Cant.  3,  4).  Of  this  possession  and  of  his  presence  the 
Lord  himself  will  give  many  token  and  pledges,  in  order 
that  the  soul  may  possess  Him  in  peace  like  the  blessed, 
although  always  only  for  a  limited  time.  So  liberal  as 
this  will  God,  our  Master  and  Lord,  be  in  rewarding  the 
objects  of  his  love  for  the  labors  accepted  by  them  for 
his  sake  and  fearlessly  undertaken  to  gain  possession  of 
Him. 

179.  In  this  sweet  violence  of  love  the  creature  begins 
to  withdraw  from  and  die  to  all  earthly  things;  and 
that  is  why  love  is  called  strong  as  death.  From  this 
death  arises  a  new  spiritual  life,  which  makes  the  soul 
capable  of  receiving  new  participations  of  the  blessed 
and  their  gifts;  for  it  enjoys  more  frequently  the  over- 
shadowing of  the  Most  High  and  the  fruits  of  the  high- 
est Good,  which  it  loves.  These  mysterious  influences 
cause  a  sort  of  overflow  into  the  interior  and  animal 
parts  of  the  creature,  producing  a  certain  transparency 
and  purifying  it  from  the  effects  of  the  spiritual  dark- 
nesses; it  makes  it  courageous  and  as  it  were  indifferent 
to  suffering,  ready  to  meet  and  endure  all  that  is  adverse 
to  the  inclinations  of  the  flesh.  With  a  certain  subtle 
thirst  it  begins  to  seek  after  all  the  difficulty  and  violence 
incident  to  the  attainment  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
(Matth.  11,  12);  it  becomes  alert  and  unhindered  by 
earthly  grossness,  so  that  many  times  the  body  itself  be- 
gins to  feel  this  lightness  in  regard  to  its  own  self;  the 
labors,  which  before  seemed  burdensome,  become  easy. 
Of  all  these  effects  thou  hast  knowledge  and  experience, 


THE    INCARNATION  145 

my  daughter,  and  I  have  described  and  rehearsed  them 
for  thee,  in  order  that  thou  mayest  dispose  thyself  and 
labor  so  much  the  more  earnestly;  so  that  the  divine 
activity  and  power  of  the  Most  High,  in  working  out 
his  pleasure  in  thee,  may  find  thee  well  disposed  and  free 
from  resistance  and  hindrance. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

OF  THE  ATTENTION  AND  CARE,  WHICH  THE  MOST  HOLY 
MARY  BESTOWED  UPON  THE  FRUIT  OE  HER  WOMB  AND 
SOME  HAPPENINGS  IN  REGARD  TO  IT. 

180.  As  soon  as  our  Lady  and  Queen  issued  from  the 
trance,  in  which  She  had  conceived  the  eternal  incarnate 
Word,  She  prostrated  Herself  upon  the  earth  and  adored 
Him  in  her  womb,  as  I  have  already  said  in  the  twelfth 
chapter  (No.  152).  This  adoration  She  continued  all 
her  life,  commencing  it  at  midnight  every  day  and  re- 
peating these  genuflexions  three  hundred  times,  until  the 
same  hour  of  the  following  night,  and  oftener,  whenever 
She  had  opportunity ;  in  this  She  was  even  more  diligent 
during  the  nine  months  of  her  divine  pregnancy.  In 
order  to  comply  entirely  with  the  new  duties  consequent 
upon  the  guarding  of  this  Treasure  of  the  eternal  Father 
in  the  virginal  bridal  chamber,  She  directed  all  her  at- 
tention toward  frequent  and  fervent  prayer.  She  was 
solicitous  in  sending  up  many  and  reiterated  petitions  to 
be  able  worthily  to  preserve  the  heavenly  Treasure  con- 
fided to  Her.  Accordingly  She  dedicated  anew  to  the 
Lord  her  soul  and  all  her  faculties,  practicing  all  virtues 
in  a  heroic  and  supreme  degree,  so  that  She  caused  new 
astonishment  in  the  angels.  She  also  consecrated  and 
offered  up  all  the  motions  of  her  body  to  the  worship 
and  service  of  the  infant  Godman  within  Her.  Whether 
She  ate,  slept,  labored  or  rested.  She  did  it  all  for  the 
nourishment  and  conservation  of  her  sweetest  Son,  and 

146 


THE    INCARNATION  147 

in  all  these  actions  She  was  inflamed  more  and  more 
with  divine  love. 

181.  On  the  day  following  the  Incarnation,  the  thou- 
sand guardian  angels  which  attended  upon  most  holy- 
Mary,  appeared  in  corporeal  form  and  with  profound 
humility  adored  their  incarnate  King  in  the  womb  of 
the  Mother.  Her  also  they  acknowledged  anew  as  their 
Queen  and  Mistress  and  rendered  Her  due  homage  and 
reverence,  saying:  "Now,  O  Lady,  Thou  art  the  true 
Ark  of  the  testament  (Deut.  10,  5),  since  Thou  con- 
tainest  the  Lawgiver  himself  and  preservest  the  Manna  of 
heaven  (Heg.  9,  4),  which  is  our  true  bread.  Receive, 
O  Queen,  our  congratulations  on  account  of  thy  dignity 
and  happiness,  for  which  we  also  thank  the  Most  High; 
since  He  has  befittingly  chosen  Thee  for  his  Mother  and 
his  tabernacle.  We  offer  anew  to  Thee  our  homage 
and  service,  and  wish  to  obey  Thee  as  vassals  and  ser- 
vants of  the  supreme  and  omnipotent  King,  whose  Mother 
Thou  art."  These  protestations  and  homages  of  the 
holy  angels  excited  in  the  Mother  of  wisdom  incom- 
parable sentiments  of  humility,  gratitude  and  love  of 
God.  For  in  this  most  prudent  heart,  where  all  things 
were  weighed  with  the  scales  of  the  sanctuary  accord- 
ing to  their  true  value  and  weight,  this  reverence  and 
acknowledgment  of  the  angelic  spirits  proclaiming  Her 
as  their  Queen,  was  held  in  high  esteem.  Although  it 
was  a  greater  thing  to  see  Herself  the  Mother  of  the 
King  and  Lord  of  all  creation,  yet  all  her  blessings  and 
dignities  were  made  more  evident  by  these  demonstra- 
tions and  homages  of  the  holy  angels. 

182.  The  angels  rendered  this  homage  as  executors 
and  ministers  of  the  will  of  the  Most  High.  When  their 
Queen  and  our  Lady  was  alone,  all  of  them  attended 
upon  Her  in  corporeal  form,  and  they  assisted  Her  in 


148  CITY    OF    GOD 

her  outward  actions  and  occupations;  and  when  She 
was  engaged  in  manual  labor,  they  administered  to  Her 
what  was  needed.  Whenever  She  happened  to  eat  alone 
in  the  absence  of  saint  Joseph,  they  waited  upon  Her 
at  her  poor  table  and  at  her  humble  meals.  Everywhere 
they  followed  Her  and  formed  an  escort,  and  helped 
Her  in  the  services  rendered  to  saint  Joseph.  Amid  all 
these  favors  and  obsequious  attendance  the  heavenly 
Lady  did  not  forget  to  ask  permission  from  the  Master 
of  masters  for  all  her  operations  and  undertakings  and 
to  implore  his  direction  and  assistance.  So  exact  and  so 
well  governed  were  all  her  exercises  according  to  the 
plenitude  of  perfection,  that  the  Lord  alone  could  com- 
prehend and  properly  weigh  them. 

183.  Besides  the  ordinary  guidance  during  the  time 
in  which  She  carried  in  her  most  holy  womb  the  in- 
carnate Word,  She  felt  his  divine  presence  in  diverse 
ways,  all  admirable  and  most  sweet.  Sometimes  He 
showed  Himself  to  Her  by  abstractive  vision,  as  men- 
tioned above.  At  other  times  She  saw  and  beheld  Him 
as  He  was  now  present  in  the  virginal  temple,  united 
hypostatically  with  the  human  nature.  At  other  times 
the  most  holy  humanity  was  manifested  to  Her,  as  if  in 
a  crystalline  monstrance,  composed  of  her  own  maternal 
womb  and  purest  body;  this  kind  of  vision  afforded 
special  consolation  and  delight  to  the  great  Queen.  At 
other  times  She  perceived  how  the  glory  of  his  most  holy 
soul  overflowed  into  the  body  of  the  divine  Child,  com- 
municating to  It  some  of  the  effects  of  its  own  blessed- 
ness and  glory  and  how  the  clarity  and  light  of  the  natural 
body  of  her  Son  passed  over  in  a  wonderfully  sweet 
ineffable  and  divine  manner  into  Herself  as  Mother.  This 
favor  transformed  Her  entirely  into  another  kind  of 
being,  inflaming  her    heart  and  causing  in   Her  such 


THE   INCARNATION  149 

effects  as  no  created  capacity  can  explain.  Let  the  in- 
tellect of  the  highest  seraphim  extend  and  dilate  as  much 
as  it  may,  it  would  nevertheless  find  itself  overwhelmed 
by  this  glory  (Prov.  25,  27) ;  for  the  entire  being  of  the 
heavenly  Queen  was  an  intellectual  and  animated  heaven, 
and  in  Her  was  summarized  the  divine  glory  and  great- 
ness, in  a  measure  that  even  the  vast  confines  of  the 
heavens  themselves  could  not  encompass. 

184.  These  and  other  prerogatives  alternated  and  suc- 
ceeded each  other  in  accordance  with  the  exercises  of  the 
divine  Mother,  and  such  variety  as  suited  the  different 
kinds  of  work  which  She  performed.  All  her  doings, 
whether  spiritual  or  manual  or  otherwise  of  the  body, 
served  her  God  or  benefited  her  neighbors,  being  under- 
taken and  accomplished  by  this  prudent  Maiden  to  pro- 
duce a  harmony  admirable  and  most  sweet  before  the 
Lord,  and  wonderful  to  the  angelic  spirits.  And  when, 
by  the  disposition  of  the  Most  High,  the  Mistress  of  the 
world  returned  to  a  more  natural  state.  She  suffered 
mortal  agony,  caused  by  the  force  and  violence  of  her 
love ;  for  to  Her  could  in  truth  be  applied  what  Solomon 
says  in  the  name  of  the  Spouse :  "Stay  me  with  flowers, 
compass  me  about  with  apples"  (Cant.  2,  5)  ;  and  thus 
it  would  happen,  that  by  the  piercing  wounds  of  these 
sweet  arrows  of  love  She  was  brought  near  to  the  end- 
ing of  her  life.  But  in  this  necessity  the  powerful  arm 
of  the  Most  High  was  wont  to  strengthen  Her  in  a  su- 
pernatural manner. 

185.  Sometimes,  in  order  to  afford  Her  sensible  relief, 
innumerable  birds  would  come  to  visit  Her  by  the  com- 
mand of  the  Lord.  As  if  they  were  endowed  with  in- 
tellect, they  would  salute  Her  by  their  lively  movements, 
and  dividing  into  harmonious  choirs,  would  furnish  Her 
with  sweetest  music,  and  they  would  wait  for  her  bless- 


150  CITY   OF   GOD 

ing  before  again  dispersing.  This  happened  in  a  special 
manner  soon  after  She  had  conceived  the  divine  Word, 
as  if  they  wished  to  congratulate  Her  on  her  dignity  in 
imitation  of  the  angels.  The  Mistress  of  all  creatures 
on  that  day  spoke  to  the  different  kinds  of  birds  and 
commanded  them  to  remain  and  praise  with  Her  the 
Creator,  in  thanksgiving  for  the  creation,  and  for  the 
existence  and  beauty  given  to  them  and  to  sing  his 
praises  for  their  conservation.  Immediately  they  obeyed 
Her  as  their  Mistress  and  anew  they  began  to  form 
choirs,  singing  in  sweetest  harmony  and  bowed  low  to 
the  ground  to  worship  their  Creator  and  honor  the 
Mother,  who  bore  Him  in  her  womb.  They  were  ac- 
customed to  bring  flowers  to  Her  in  their  beaks  and  place 
them  into  her  hands,  waiting  until  She  should  command 
them  to  sing  or  to  be  silent  according  to  her  wishes.  It 
also  happened  that  in  bad  weather  some  birds  would 
come  and  seek  the  protection  of  the  heavenly  Lady,  and 
She  took  them  in  and  nourished  them,  in  her  admirable 
innocence  glorifying  the  Creator  of  all  things. 

186.  And  our  weak  ignorance  must  not  be  estranged 
at  these  wonders,  for,  though  the  incidents  might  be 
called  small,  the  purposes  of  the  Most  High  are  great 
and  venerable  in  all  his  works;  and  also  the  works  of 
our  most  prudent  Queen  were  great,  no  matter  of  what 
kind  they  might  have  been.  And  who  is  so  presump- 
tuous as  to  ignore  the  importance  of  knowing  how  much 
of  God's  essence  and  perfections  are  manifest  in  the 
existence  of  all  the  creatures?  How  important  it  is  to 
seek  Him  and  find  Him,  to  bless  Him  and  magnify  Him 
in  all  his  creatures,  as  admirable,  powerful,  generous  and 
holy?  Why  should  it  not  be  our  duty  to  imitate  Mary, 
who  overlooked  no  time,  place  or  occasion,  to  attain  this 
object  ?     And  how  also  shall  our  ungrateful  forget  fulness 


THE   INCARNATION  151 

not  be  confounded,  and  our  hardness  of  heart  not  be 
softened?  How  can  our  Hstless  heart  fail  to  be  aroused, 
when  we  see  ourselves  reprehended  and  urged  for  very- 
shame  to  thankfulness  by  the  irrational  creatures?  Merely 
for  the  slight  participation  of  the  Divinity  that  consists 
in  bare  existence,  they  proclaim  his  praises  without  in- 
termission ;  whereas  we  men,  who  are  made  to  the  image 
and  likeness  of  God,  furnished  with  the  powers  of  know- 
ing Him  and  enjoying  Him  eternally,  forget  Him  so 
far  as  not  even  to  know  Him,  and  instead  of  serving  Him, 
offend  Him !  Thus  it  comes  that  in  no  wise  can  men  be 
preferred  to  the  brute  animals,  since  they  have  become 
worse  than  the  brutes  (Ps.  48,  13). 

INSTRUCTION    GIVEN    BY   OUR    MOST    HOLY    QUEEN 
AND  LADY. 

187.  My  daughter,  thou  hast  received  my  instruction 
until  now  in  order  to  desire  and  strive  after  the  heavenly 
science,  which  I  wish  thee  so  earnestly  to  acquire  and 
which  shall  teach  thee  to  understand  profoundly,  what 
decorous  reverence  is  due  to  God.  I  remind  thee  once 
more,  that  this  science  is  very  hard  to  learn  and  little 
coveted  by  men  on  account  of  their  ignorance ;  for  thence, 
to  their  great  loss,  it  arises  that,  in  conversing  with  the 
Most  High  or  rendering  Him  service  or  worship,  they 
fail  to  form  a  worthy  concept  of  his  infinite  greatness, 
and  to  free  themselves  from  the  darksome  images  of 
their  earthly  occupations,  which  make  them  torpid  and 
carnal,  unworthy  and  unfit  for  the  magnificent  inter- 
course with  the  supernal  Deity.  And  this  ill-bred 
coarseness  entails  another  disorder:  namely,  that  when- 
ever they  converse  with  their  neighbors,  they  do  it  with- 
out order,   measure  or  discretion,  become  entangled  in 


152  CITY   OF   GOD 

their  outward  actions,  and  losing  the  memory  and  pres- 
ence of  their  Creator  in  the  excitement  of  their  passions, 
are  completely  entangled  in  what  is  earthly. 

188.  I  desire  therefore,  my  dearest,  that  thou  fly  from 
this  danger  and  learn  the  science,  of  the  immutable  being 
and  infinite  attributes  of  God.  In  such  a  way  must  thou 
study  Him  and  unite  thyself  to  Him,  that  no  created  being 
will  come  between  thy  soul  and  the  true  and  highest 
Good.  At  all  times  and  in  all  places,  occupations  and 
operations  thou  must  keep  Him  in  sight,  without  re- 
leasing Him  from  the  intimate  embrace  of  thy  heart 
(Cant.  3,  4).  Therefore  I  command  thee  to  treat  Him 
with  a  magnanimous  heart,  with  decorum  and  reverence, 
with  deepfelt  fear  of  the  soul.  And  whatever  pertains 
to  his  divine  worship,  I  desire  that  thou  handle  with 
all  attention  and  care.  Above  all  in  order  to  enter  into 
his  presence  by  prayer  and  petitions,  free  thyself  from 
all  sensible  and  earthly  images.  And  since  human  frailty 
cannot  always  remain  constant  in  the  force  of  love,  nor 
always  experience  the  sweet  violence  of  its  movements 
on  account  of  its  earthly  nature,  thou  shouldst  seek  other 
assistance,  such  as  will  help  thee  toward  the  same  end 
of  finding  thy  God.  Such  help,  for  instance,  is  afforded 
by  his  praise  in  the  beauty  of  the  heavens  and  of  the 
stars,  in  the  variety  of  the  plants,  in  the  pleasant  vista 
of  the  fields,  in  the  forces  of  the  elements,  and  especially 
in  the  exalted  nature  of  the  angels  and  in  the  glory  of  his 
saints. 

189.  But  bear  continually  in  mind  especially  this  par- 
ticular caution,  not  to  seek  any  earthly  alleviation  in  any 
event  or  in  any  labor  which  thou  art  to  undergo,  nor  to 
indulge  in  any  diversion  coming  from  human  creatures; 
and  especially  not  in  those  coming  from  men,  for  an  ac- 
count of  thy  naturally  weak  and  yielding  character,  so 


THE   INCARNATION  153 

much  adverse  to  giving-  pain,  thou  placest  thyself  in  dan- 
ger of  exceeding  and  overstepping  the  Hmit  of  what  is 
allowed  or  just,  following,  more  than  is  proper  for  the 
religious  spouses  of  my  most  holy  Son,  thy  sensible  lik- 
ings. The  risks  of  this  negligence  all  the  human  crea- 
tures incur;  for  if  full  reins  are  given  to  frail  human 
nature,  it  will  not  give  heed  to  reason,  not  to  the  true 
light  of  the  Spirit ;  but,  forgetting  them  entirely,  it  will 
blindly  follow  the  impulse  of  its  passions  and  pleasures. 
Against  this  general  danger  is  provided  the  enclosure  and 
retirement  of  the  souls  consecrated  to  my  Son  and  Lord, 
in  order  to  cut  off  the  root  of  those  unhappy  and  dis- 
graceful occasions  for  those  religious,  who  would  will- 
ingly seek  them  and  entangle  themselves  in  them.  Thy 
recreations,  my  dearest,  and  those  of  thy  sister  religious, 
must  be  free  from  such  danger  and  deadly  poison.  Seek 
always  those,  which  thou  shalt  find  in  the  secret  of  thy 
breast  and  in  the  chamber  of  thy  Beloved,  who  is  faith- 
ful in  consoling  the  sorrowful  and  in  assisting  the  af- 
flicted. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MOST  HOI,Y  MARY  IS  INFORMED  OF  THE  WII,!,  OF  THE 
IvORD,  THAT  SHE  VISIT  HOLY  ELISABETH;  SHE  ASKS 
SAINT  JOSEPH  EOR  PERMISSION  TO  GO,  REMAINING 
SILENT    ABOUT    ALL   THAT    HAD    HAPPENED    TO    HER. 

190.  By  the  words  of  the  heavenly  messenger,  the 
archangel  Gabriel,  most  holy  Mary  had  been  informed, 
that  her  cousin  Elisabeth  (who  was  held  to  be  sterile) 
had  conceived  a  son  and  that  She  was  already  in  the 
sixth  month  of  her  pregnancy.  Afterwards,  in  one  of 
the  intellectual  visions,  the  Most  High  revealed  to  Her, 
that  in  a  miraculous  birth,  Elisabeth  would  bring  forth 
a  son,  who  would  be  great  before  the  Lord  (Luke  1,  15)  ; 
a  Prophet  and  the  Forerunner  of  the  incarnate  Word; 
also  other  great  mysteries  of  the  holiness  and  of  the  per- 
sonality of  saint  John  were  revealed  to  Her.  On  this 
same  occasion  and  on  others  the  heavenly  Queen  was  in- 
formed, that  it  would  be  agreeable  and  pleasing  to  the 
Lord,  if  She  would  visit  her  cousin,  in  order  that  as 
well  Elisabeth  as  also  the  child  in  her  womb  might  be 
sanctified  by  the  presence  of  their  Redeemer;  for  his 
Majesty  was  anxious  to  communicate  the  benefits  of  his 
coming  into  the  world  and  his  merits  to  his  Precursor, 
in  order  to  make  of  him  as  it  were  the  well  seasoned 
first  fruit  of  his  Redemption. 

191.  At  the  news  of  this  sacramental  mystery  the 
most  prudent  Virgin,  with  admirable  jubilee  of  spirit, 
rendered  thanks  to  the  Lord  for  such  great  condescension 
and  favor  vouchsafed  to  the  soul  of  the  Precursor  and 

154 


THE   INCARNATION  155 

Prophet  and  to  his  mother  Elisabeth.  Signifying  her 
readiness  to  fulfill  the  divine  pleasure,  She  spoke  to  his 
Majesty  and  said:  "Most  high  Lord,  beginning  and 
cause  of  all  good,  let  thy  name  be  eternally  glorified, 
acknowledged  and  praised  by  all  the  nations.  I,  the 
least  of  thy  creatures,  give  thee  humble  thanks  for  the 
liberal  kindness,  which  thou  wishest  to  show  to  thy  ser- 
vant Elisabeth  and  to  the  son  of  her  womb.  If  it  is 
according  to  the  promptings  of  thy  condescension,  that  I 
serve  thee  in  this  work,  I  stand  prepared,  my  Lord,  to 
obey  eagerly  thy  divine  mandates."  The  Most  High 
answered  Her :  "My  Dove  and  my  Beloved,  elect  among 
creatures,  truly  I  say  to  thee,  that  on  account  of  thy  in- 
tercession and  thy  love  I  will,  as  a  Father  and  most 
liberal  God,  take  care  of  thy  cousin  Elisabeth  and  of  the 
son,  who  is  to  be  born  of  her:  I  will  choose  him  as  my 
Prophet  and  as  the  Precursor  of  the  Word,  which  is 
made  man  in  thee ;  I  will  look  upon  them  as  belonging  to 
thee  and  intimately  connected  with  thyself.  Therefore 
I  wish,  that  my  and  thy  Onlybegotten  go  to  see  the 
mother,  in  order  to  free  the  son  from  the  chains  of  the 
first  sin  and  in  order  that,  before  the  common  and  ordi- 
nary time  decreed  for  other  men,  his  voice  and  praise 
may  sound  up  to  my  ears  (Cant.  2,  14),  and  that  the 
mysteries  of  the  Incarnation  and  Redemption  may  be 
revealed  to  his  sanctified  soul.  Therefore  I  wish  thee 
to  visit  Elisabeth;  for  We  three  Persons  of  the  blessed 
Trinity  have  chosen  her  son  for  g^eat  deeds  conformable 
to  our  pleasure." 

192.  To  this  command  of  the  Lord  the  most  obedient 
Mother  responded :  "Thou  knowest,  my  Lord  and  God, 
that  all  the  desires  of  my  heart  seek  but  thy  divine  pleas- 
ure and  that  I  wish  to  fulfill  diligently  whatever  Thou 
commandest  to  thy  humble  servant.    Allow  me,  my  God, 


156  CITY    OF    GOD 

to  ask  permission  from  my  husband  Joseph  and  that  I 
make  this  journey  according  to  his  will  and  direction. 
And  in  order  that  I  may  not  diverge  from  what  is  thy 
pleasure,  do  Thou  govern  me  during  that  journey  in  all 
my  actions,  direct  my  footsteps  to  the  greater  glory  of 
thy  name  (Ps.  118,  113).  Accept  therefore  the  sacri- 
fice, which  I  bring  in  going  out  in  public  and  in  leaving 
my  cherished  retirement.  I  wish  to  offer  more  than  my 
desires,  God  and  King  of  my  soul,  I  hope  to  be  made  able 
to  suffer  all  that  will  conduce  to  thy  greater  service  and 
pleasure  purely  for  thy  love,  so  that  the  longings  of  my 
soul  may  not  remain  entirely  unfulfilled." 

193.  When  our  great  Queen  came  out  of  this  vision, 
She  called  upon  the  thousand  angels  of  her  guard,  who 
appeared  to  Her  in  bodily  forms,  and  told  them  of  the 
command  of  the  Most  High.  She  asked  them  to  assist 
Her  with  careful  solicitude  in  this  journey,  to  teach  Her 
how  to  fulfill  all  the  commands  according  to  the  greater 
pleasure  of  the  Lord,  to  defend  Her  and  guard  Her 
from  dangers  so  that  She  might  conduct  Herself  ia  all 
things  during  that  journey  in  the  most  perfect  manner. 
The  holy  princes,  with  wonderful  devotion,  offered  to 
obey  and  serve  Her.  In  the  same  manner  the  Mistress 
of  all  prudence  and  humility  was  wont  to  act  also  on 
other  occasions.  For  though  She  was  Herself  more  wise 
and  more  perfect  in  her  deeds  than  the  angels,  yet  be- 
cause She  was  yet  in  the  state  of  pilgrimage  and  endowed 
with  a  nature  lower  than  that  of  the  angels,  She  was 
always  solicitous  to  attain  the  plenitude  of  perfection  by 
consulting  and  asking  for  the  aid  of  her  guardian  angels, 
though  they  were  her  inferiors  in  sanctity.  Under  their 
direction,  as  also  by  the  promptings  of  the  holy  Spirit, 
all  her  human  actions  were  well  disposed  and  well  or- 
dered.    The  heavenly  spirits  obeyed  Her  with  alacrity 


THE   INCARNATION  157 

and  punctuality,  such  as  was  proper  to  their  nature  and 
due  to  their  Queen  and  Lady.  They  held  sweet  inter- 
course and  delightful  colloquy  with  Her,  and  alternately 
with  Her  they  sang  highest  songs  of  praise  and  adora- 
tion of  the  Most  High.  At  other  times  they  conversed 
about  the  supernal  mysteries  of  the  incarnate  Word,  the 
hypostatic  union,  the  sacrament  of  the  Redemption,  the 
triumphs  to  be  celebrated  by  Him,  the  fruits  and  blessings 
acruing  therefrom  to  mortals.  It  would  necessitate 
lengthening  out  this  work  too  much,  if  I  were  to  write 
all  that  has  been  revealed  to  me  about  these  conversa- 
tions. 

194.  The  humble  Spouse  proceeded  immediately  to 
ask  the  consent  of  saint  Joseph  for  executing  the  man- 
date of  the  Most  High,  and,  in  her  consummate  prudence, 
She  said  nothing  of  these  happenings,  but  simply  spoke 
to  him  these  words :  "My  lord  and  spouse,  by  the  divine 
light  it  was  made  known  to  me,  that  through  condescen- 
sion of  the  Most  High  the  prayer  of  my  cousin  Elisabeth, 
the  wife  of  Zacharias,  has  been  heard ;  she  has  conceived 
a  son,  though  she  was  sterile.  Since  she  has  obtained 
this  singular  blessing,  I  hope  that  through  God's  infinite 
bounty,  her  Son  will  greatly  please  and  glorify  the  Lord. 
I  think  that  on  this  occasion  I  am  under  obligation  to 
visit  her  and  converse  with  her  on  certain  things  for  her 
consolation  and  spiritual  encouragement.  If  this  is  ac- 
cording to  thy  liking,  my  master,  I  will  perform  it  with 
thy  permission,  for  I  am  entirely  subject  to  thy  will  and 
pleasure.  Consider  then  what  is  best  for  me  and  com- 
mand what  I  am  to  do." 

195.  This  prudent  silence  of  the  most  holy  Mary,  so 
full  of  humble  subjection,  was  very  agreeable  to  the 
Lord;  for  She  showed  Herself  thereby  worthy  and  ca- 
pable of  receiving  the  deposit  of  the  great  sacraments 

2-12 


158  CITY   OF   GOD 

of  the  King  (Tob.  12,  7).  Therefore,  and  on  account 
of  the  confidence  in  his  fidelity  with  which  She  proceeded, 
his  Majesty  disposed  the  most  pure  heart  of  saint  Joseph, 
giving  him  his  divine  hght  to  act  conformably  to  his  will. 
This  is  the  reward  of  the  humble,  who  ask  for  counsel : 
that  they  will  find  it  with  certainty  and  security  (Eccli. 
32,  29).  It  is  also  the  peculiar  prerogative  of  a  holy 
and  discreet  zeal  to  be  able  to  give  prudent  advice  to 
those  that  ask.  Full  of  this  holy  counsel  saint  Joseph 
answered  our  Queen :  "Thou  knowest  already,  my  Lady 
and  Spouse,  that  my  utmost  desires  are  to  serve  Thee 
with  all  diligence  and  attention;  for  I  am  bound  to 
have  this  confidence  in  thy  great  virtue,  that  Thou  wilt 
not  incline  toward  anything,  which  is  not  according  to 
the  greater  pleasure  and  glory  of  the  Most  High;  and 
this  is  my  belief  also  in  regard  to  this  journey.  Lest 
thy  making  this  journey  alone  and  without  the  company 
of  thy  husband  cause  surprise  I  will  gladly  go  with  Thee 
and  attend  to  thy  wants  on  the  way.  Do  Thou  appoint 
the  day  on  which  we  shall  depart  together." 

196.  The  most  holy  Mary  thanked  her  prudent  spouse 
Joseph  for  his  loving  solicitude  and  for  his  attentive  co- 
operation with  the  will  of  God  in  whatever  he  knew  to 
be  for  his  service  and  honor.  They  both  concluded  to 
depart  immediately  on  their  visit  to  the  house  of  saint 
Elisabeth  (Luke  1,  39),  and  prepared  without  delay 
the  provisions,  which  consisted  merely  in  a  little  fruit, 
bread  and  a  few  fishes,  procured  by  saint  Joseph.  In 
addition  to  these  he  borrowed  an  humble  beast  of  burden, 
in  order  to  carry  their  provisions  and  his  Spouse,  the 
Queen  of  all  creation.  Forthwith  they  departed  from 
Nazareth  for  Judea;  the  journey  itself  I  will  describe  in 
the  following  chapter.  On  leaving  their  poor  dwelling 
the  great  Mistress  of  the  world  knelt  at  the  feet  of  her 


THE   INCARNATION  159 

spouse  Joseph  and  asked  his  blessing  in  order  to  begin 
the  journey  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  The  saint  was 
abashed  at  the  rare  humiHty  of  his  Spouse,  with  which 
He  had  already  been  impressed  by  experience  on  so  many 
other  occasions.  He  hesitated  giving  Her  his  benedic- 
tion ;  but  the  meek  and  sweet  persistence  of  the  most  holy 
Mary  overcame  his  objections  and  he  blessed  Her  in  the 
name  of  the  Most  High.  The  heavenly  Lady  raised 
her  eyes  and  her  heart  to  God,  in  order  to  direct  her 
first  steps  toward  the  fulfillment  of  the  divine  pleasure 
and  willingly  bearing  along  in  her  womb  the  Onlybe- 
gotten  of  the  Father  and  her  own,  for  the  sanctification 
of  John  in  that  of  his  mother  Elisabeth. 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH  THE  HEAVENLY  QUEEN  AND 
LADY  GAVE  ME. 

197.  My  dearest  daughter,  many  times  I  have  confided 
and  manifested  to  thee  the  love  burning  within  my 
bosom :  for  I  wish  that  it  should  be  ardently  re-enkindled 
within  thy  own,  and  that  thou  profit  from  the  instruction, 
which  I  g^ve  thee.  Happy  is  the  soul,  to  which  the  Most 
High  manifests  his  holy  and  perfect  will;  but  more  happy 
and  blessed  is  he,  who  puts  into  execution,  what  he  has 
learned.  In  many  ways  God  shows  to  mortals  the  high- 
ways and  pathways  of  eternal  life:  by  the  Gospels  and 
the  holy  Scriptures,  by  the  Sacraments  and  the  laws  of 
the  holy  Church,  by  the  writings  and  examples  of  the 
saints,  and  especially,  by  the  obedience  due  to  the  guid- 
ings  of  its  ministers,  of  whom  his  Majesty  said :  "Who- 
ever hpars  you,  hears  Me;"  for  obeying  them  is  the 
same  as  obeying  the  Lord  himself,  WhenevP^  by  any 
of  these  means  thou  hast  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
will  of  God,  I  desire  thee  to  assume  the  wings  of  humility 


160  CITY   OF   GOD 

and  obedience,  and,  as  if  in  ethereal  flight  or  hke  the 
quickest  sunbeam,  hasten  to  execute  it  and  thereby  ful- 
fill the  divine  pleasure. 

198.  Besides  these  means  of  instruction,  the  Most 
High  has  still  others  in  order  to  direct  the  soul ;  namely, 
He  intimates  his  perfect  will  to  them  in  a  supernatural 
manner,  and  reveals  to  them  many  sacraments.  This 
kind  of  instruction  is  of  many  and  different  degrees ;  not 
all  of  them  are  common  or  ordinary  to  all  souls ;  for  the 
Lord  dispenses  his  light  in  measure  and  weight  (Wis. 
11,  21).  Sometimes  He  speaks  to  the  heart  and  the 
interior  feelings  in  commands;  at  others,  in  correction, 
advising  or  instructing :  sometimes  He  moves  the  heart  to 
ask  Him;  at  other  times  He  proposes  clearly  what  He 
desires,  in  order  that  the  soul  may  be  moved  to  fulfill 
it;  again  He  manifests,  as  in  a  clear  mirror,  great  mys- 
teries, in  order  that  they  may  be  seen  and  recognized  by 
the  intellect  and  loved  by  the  will.  But  this  great  and 
infinite  Good  is  always  sweet  in  commanding,  powerful 
in  giving  the  necessary  help  for  obedience,  just  in  his 
commands,  quick  in  disposing  circumstances  so  that  He 
can  be  obeyed,  notwithstanding  all  the  impediments 
which  hinder  the  fulfillment  of  his  most  holy  will. 

199.  In  receiving  this  divine  light,  my  daughter,  I 
wish  to  see  thee  very  attentive,  and  very  quick  and  dili- 
gent in  following  it  up  in  deed.  In  order  to  hear  this 
most  delicate  and  spiritual  voice  of  the  Lord  it  is  neces- 
sary, that  the  faculties  of  the  soul  be  purged  from  earthly 
grossness  and  that  the  creature  live  entirely  according  to 
the  spirit;  for  the  animal  man  does  not  perceive  the  ele- 
vated things  of  the  Divinity  (I  Cor.  2,  14).  Be  atten- 
tive then  to  his  secrets  (Is.  24,  16)  and  forget  all  that 
is  of  the  outside;  listen,  my  daughter,  and  incline  thy 
ear;  free  thyself  from  all  visible  things   (Ps.  44,   IH. 


THE   INCARNATION  161 

And  in  order  that  thou  mayest  be  diligent,  cultivate  love ; 
for  love  is  a  fire,  which  does  not  have  its  effect  until 
the  material  is  prepared;  therefore  let  thy  heart  always 
be  disposed  and  prepared.  Whenever  the  Most  High  bids 
thee  or  communicates  to  thee  anything  for  the  welfare 
of  souls,  or  especially  for  their  eternal  salvation,  devote 
thyself  to  it  entirely;  for  they  are  bought  at  the  in- 
estimable price  of  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  and  of  divine 
love.  Do  not  allow  thyself  to  be  hindered  in  this  matter 
by  thy  own  lowliness  and  bashfulness;  but  overcome  the 
fear  which  restrains  thee,  for  if  thou  thyself  art  of  small 
value  and  usefulness,  the  Most  High  is  rich  (I  Pet.  1, 
18),  powerful,  great,  and  by  Himself  performs  all  things 
(Rom.  10,  12).  Thy  promptness  and  affection  will  not 
go  without  its  reward,  although  I  wish  thee  rather  to  be 
moved  entirely  by  the  pleasure  of  thy  Lord. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  JOURNEY  OF  THE  MOST  HOLY  MARY  ON  HER  VISIT 
TO  SAINT  EUSABETH  AND  HER  ENTRANCE  INTO  THE 
HOUSE  OE  ZACHARIAS. 

2(X).  "And  Mary  rising  up  in  those  days,"  says  the 
sacred  text,  "went  into  the  hill  country  with  haste,  into 
a  city  of  Judea"  (Luke  1,  39).  This  rising  up  of  our 
heavenly  Queen  signified  not  only  her  exterior  prepara- 
tions and  setting  out  from  Nazareth  on  her  journey,  but 
it  referred  to  the  movement  of  her  spirit  and  to  the  divine 
impulse  and  command  which  directed  Her  to  arise  in- 
teriorly from  the  humble  retirement,  which  She  had 
chosen  in  her  humility.  She  arose  as  it  were  from  the 
feet  of  the  Most  High,  whose  will  and  pleasure  She 
eagerly  sought  to  fulfill,  like  the  lowliest  handmaid,  who 
according  to  the  word  of  David  (Ps.  122,  2)  keeps  her 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  hands  of  her  Mistress,  awaiting  her 
commands.  Arising  at  the  bidding  of  the  Lord  She 
lovingly  hastened  to  accomplish  his  most  holy  will,  in 
procuring  without  delay  the  sanctification  of  the  Precur- 
sor of  the  incarnate  Word,  who  was  yet  held  prisoner 
in  the  womb  of  Elisabeth  by  the  bonds  of  original  sin. 
This  was  the  purpose  and  object  of  this  journey.  There- 
fore the  Princess  of  heaven  arose  and  proceeded  in 
diligent  haste,  as  mentioned  by  the  Evangelist  saint  Luke. 

20L  Leaving  behind  then  the  house  of  her  father  and 
forgetting  her  people  (Ps,  44,  11),  the  most  chaste 
spouses,  Mary  and  Joseph,  pursued  their  way  to  the 
house  of  Zacharias  in  mountainous  Judea.  It  was  twenty- 

162 


THE   INCARNATION  163 

six  leagues  distant  from  Nazareth,  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  way  was  very  rough  and  broken,  unfit  for  such 
a  dehcate  and  tender  Maiden.  All  the  convenience  at 
their  disposal  for  the  arduous  undertaking  was  an  hum- 
ble beast,  on  which  She  began  and  pursued  her  journey. 
Although  it  was  intended  solely  for  her  comfort  and 
service,  yet  Mary,  the  most  humble  and  unpretentious  of 
all  creatures,  many  times  dismounted  and  asked  her 
spouse  saint  Joseph  to  share  with  Her  this  commodity 
and  to  lighten  the  difificulties  of  the  way  by  making  use 
of  the  beast.  Her  discreet  spouse  never  accepted  this 
offer ;  and  in  order  to  yield  somewhat  to  the  solicitations 
of  the  heavenly  Lady,  he  permitted  her  now  and  then  to 
walk  with  him  part  of  the  way,  whenever  it  seemed  to 
him  that  her  delicate  strength  could  sustain  the  exertion 
without  too  ^eat  fatigue.  But  soon  he  would  again  ask 
Her,  with  great  modesty  and  reverence,  to  accept  of  this 
slight  alleviation  and  the  celestial  Queen  would  then  obey 
and  ag^in  proceed  on  her  way  seated  in  the  saddle. 

202.  Thus  alleviating  their  fatigue  by  humble  and 
courteous  contentions,  the  most  holy  Mary  and  saint 
Joseph  continued  on  their  journey,  making  good  use  of 
each  single  moment.  They  proceeded  alone,  without  ac- 
companiment of  any  human  creatures;  but  all  the  thou- 
sand angels,  which  were  set  to  guard  the  couch  of  Solo- 
mon, the  most  holy  Mary,  attended  upon  them  (Cant. 
3,  7).  Although  the  angels  accompanied  them  in  cor- 
poreal form,  serving  their  great  Queen  and  her  most 
holy  Son  in  her  womb,  they  were  visible  only  to  Mary. 
In  the  company  of  the  angels  and  of  saint  Joseph,  the 
Mother  of  grace  journeyed  along,  filling  the  fields  and 
the  mountains  with  the  sweetest  fragrance  of  her  pres- 
ence and  with  the  divine  praises,  in  which  She  unceas- 
ingly occupied  Herself.     Sometimes  She  conversed  with 


164  CITY    OF    GOD 

the  ang-els  and,  alternately  with  them,  sang  divine  canticles 
concerning  the  different  mysteries  of  the  Divinity  and 
the  works  of  Creation  and  of  the  Incarnation.  Thus 
ever  anew  the  pure  heart  of  the  immaculate  Lady  was 
inflamed  by  the  ardors  of  divine  love.  In  all  this  her 
spouse  saint  Joseph  contributed  his  share  by  maintaining 
a  discreet  silence,  and  by  allowing  his  beloved  Spouse  to 
pursue  the  flights  of  her  spirit;  for,  lost  in  highest  con- 
templation, he  was  favored  with  some  understanding  of 
what  was  passing  within  her  soul. 

203.  At  other  times  the  two  would  converse  with 
each  other  and  speak  about  the  salvation  of  souls  and 
the  mercies  of  the  Lord,  of  the  coming  of  the  Redeemer, 
of  the  prophecies  given  to  the  ancient  Fathers  concerning 
Him,  and  of  other  mysteries  and  sacraments  of  the  Most 
High.  Something  happened  on  the  way,  which  caused 
great  wonder  in  her  holy  spouse  Joseph :  he  loved  his 
Spouse  most  tenderly  with  a  chaste  and  holy  love,  such 
as  had  been  ordained  in  Him  by  the  special  grace  and 
dispensation  of  the  divine  love  itself  (Cant.  2,  4)  ;  in 
addition  to  this  privilege  (which  was  certainly  not  a  small 
one)  the  saint  was  naturally  of  a  most  noble  and  cour- 
teous disposition,  and  his  manners  were  most  pleasing 
and  charming;  all  this  produced  in  him  a  most  discreet 
and  loving  solicitude,  which  was  yet  increased  by  the 
great  holiness,  which  he  had  seen  from  the  beginning 
in  his  Spouse  and  which  was  ordained  by  heaven  as 
the  immediate  object  of  all  his  privileges.  Therefore 
the  saint  anxiously  attended  upon  most  holy  Mary  and 
asked  her  many  times,  whether  She  was  tired  or  fatigued, 
and  in  what  he  could  serve  Her  on  the  journey.  But 
as  the  Queen  of  heaven  already  carried  within  the 
virginal  chamber  the  divine  fire  of  the  incarnate  Word, 
holy  Joseph,  without  fathoming  the  real  cause,  expe- 


THE   INCARNATION  165 

rienced  in  his  soul  new  reactions,  proceeding  from  the 
words  and  conversations  of  his  beloved  Spouse.  He  felt 
himself  so  inflamed  by  divine  love  and  imbued  with 
such  exalted  knowledge  of  the  mysteries  touched  upon 
in  their  conversations,  that  he  was  entirely  renewed  and 
spiritualized  by  this  burning  interior  light.  The  farther 
they  proceeded  and  the  more  they  conversed  about  these 
heavenly  things,  so  much  the  stronger  these  affections 
grew,  and  he  became  aware,  that  it  was  the  words  of  his 
Spouse,  which  thus  filled  his  heart  with  love  and  inflamed 
his  will  with  divine  ardor. 

204.  So  g^eat  were  these  new  sensations,  that  the 
prudent  Joseph  could  not  help  but  pay  the  greatest  at- 
tention to  them.  Although  he  knew  that  all  this  came 
to  him  through  the  mediation  of  most  holy  Mary,  and 
although  it  was  a  wonderful  consolation  to  him,  that 
She  was  the  cause,  he  meditated  upon  it  without  curiosity, 
and,  on  account  of  his  great  modesty,  he  did  not  dare  to 
ask  Her  any  questions.  The  Lord  having  ordained  it  thus, 
for  it  was  not  yet  time,  that  he  should  know  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  King,  which  was  already  completed  in  her 
virginal  womb.  The  heavenly  Princess  beheld  the  in- 
terior of  her  spouse,  knowing  all  that  passed  within 
his  soul ;  and  in  her  prudence  She  reflected  how  it  would 
naturally  be  unavoidable,  that  he  should  come  to  know 
of  her  pregnancy;  for  there  would  be  no  possibility  of 
concealing  it  from  her  most  beloved  and  chaste  spouse. 
The  great  Lady  did  not  know  at  the  time,  how  God  would 
arrange  this  matter;  yet,  although  She  had  not  received 
any  intimation  or  command  to  conceal  this  mystery,  her 
heavenly  prudence  and  discretion  taught  Her  that  it 
would  be  proper  to  conceal  it  as  a  great  sacrament,  greater 
than  all  other  mysteries.  Therefore  She  kept  it  secret, 
saying  not  a  word  about  it  to  her  husband,  neither  after 


166  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  message  of  the  angel,  nor  during  this  journey,  nor 
later  on,  during  the  anxieties  occasioned  to  saint  Joseph 
at  becoming  aware  of  her  pregnancy. 

205.  O  admirable  discretion  and  prudence  more  than 
human!  The  great  Queen  resigned  Herself  entirely  to 
the  divine  Providence,  hoping  that  God  would  arrange 
all  things;  yet  She  felt  anxiety  and  pain,  at  the  thought 
of  what  her  husband  might  think,  and  of  her  inability 
to  do  anything  in  order  to  dissipate  his  anxiety.  This 
anxiety  was  increased  by  the  attentive  care  and  service, 
lavished  by  him  upon  Her  with  so  much  love  and  affec- 
tion; since  his  faithful  services  certainly  deserved  a  cor- 
responding return  on  her  part  as  far  as  was  prudently 
possible.  Therefore,  in  loving  solicitude  and  in  pursuance 
of  her  desires  to  solve  this  coming  difficulty,  She  prayed 
to  the  Lord,  asking  Him  to  grant  his  divine  assistance 
and  guidance  to  saint  Joseph,  when  it  should  arrive.  In 
this  state  of  suspense,  in  which  She  found  Herself,  her 
Highness  performed  great  and  heroic  acts  of  faith,  hope 
and  charity,  of  prudence,  humility,  patience  and  fortitude, 
imbuing  all  her  activity  with  the  plenitude  of  holiness 
and  reaching  in  all  things  the  summit  of  perfection. 

206.  This  journey  was  the  first  pilgrimage  begun  by 
the  divine  Word,  four  days  after  He  had  entered  the 
world;  for  his  most  ardent  love  would  not  suffer  any 
longer  delay  or  procrastination  in  enkindling  the  fire, 
which  He  came  to  scatter  in  the  world  (Luke  12,  49), 
and  in  beginning  his  justification  of  mortals  with  his 
Precursor.  This  haste  He  communicated  also  to  his 
holy  Mother,  in  order  that  She  might  arise  without  de- 
lay and  fly  on  her  visit  to  Elisabeth  (Luke  1,  39).  The 
most  heavenly  Lady  on  this  occasion  served  as  the  coach 
of  the  true  Solomon ;  but  much  more  richly  adorned  and 
more  elegant,  as  Solomon  himself  infers  in  the  canticles 


THE   INCARNATION  167 

(Cant.  3,  9).  Therefore  this  journey  was  glorious  and 
occasioned  great  joy  to  the  Onlybegotten  of  the  Father. 
For  He  traveled  at  his  ease  in  the  virginal  chamber  of  his 
Mother,  enjoying  the  sweet  tokens  of  her  love.  At  the 
time  She  alone  was  the  archive  of  this  Treasure,  the 
secretary  of  so  great  a  sacrament,  and  She  adored  Him, 
blessed  and  admired  Him,  spoke  and  listened  to  Him, 
and  answered  Him;  She  reverenced  Him  and  thanked 
Him  for  Herself  and  for  all  the  human  race,  much  more 
than  all  the  men  and  the  angels  together. 

207.  In  the  course  of  the  journey,  which  lasted  four 
days,  the  two  holy  pilgrims,  Mary  and  Joseph,  exercised 
not  only  the  virtues  which  were  interior  and  had  God 
for  their  immediate  object,  but  also  many  other  outward 
acts  of  charity  toward  their  neighbors;  for  Mary  could 
not  remain  idle  at  the  sight  of  want.  They  did  not  find 
the  same  hospitable  treatment  at  all  the  inns  of  the  road; 
for  some  of  the  innkeepers,  being  more  rude,  treated  them 
with  slight  consideration  in  accordance  with  their  natural 
disposition ;  others  received  them  with  true  love  inspired 
by  divine  grace.  But  the  Mother  of  mercy  denied  to  no 
one  such  help  as  She  could  administer;  and  therefore, 
whenever  She  could  decently  do  so.  She  hastened  to  visit 
and  hunt  up  the  poor,  infirm  and  afflicted,  helping  them 
and  consoling  them,  and  curing  their  sicknesses.  I  will 
not  stop  to  relate  all  that  happened  on  the  way,  but  will 
only  mention  the  good  fortune  of  a  poor  sick  girl,  whom 
our  great  Queen  found  in  passing  through  a  town  on  the 
first  day  of  her  journey.  She  was  moved  to  tenderest 
compassion  at  the  sight  of  her  grievous  illness ;  and,  mak- 
ing use  of  her  power  as  Mistress  of  the  creatures,  She 
commanded  the  fever  to  leave  the  maiden  and  the 
humors  to  recompose  and  reduce  themselves  to  their 
natural  state  and  condition.     At  this  command  and  at 


168  CITY    OF    GOD 

the  sweet  presence  of  the  purest  Mother,  the  sick  maiden 
was  suddenly  freed  and  healed  from  her  pains  of  body 
and  benefited  in  soul;  so  that  afterwards  She  lived  more 
and  more  perfectly  and  attained  the  state  of  sanctity; 
for  the  image  of  the  Authoress  of  her  happiness  re- 
mained stamped  within  her  memory  and  her  heart  was 
enkindled  with  a  great  love  toward  the  heavenly  Lady, 
although  She  never  again  saw  Her,  nor  was  the  miracle 
ever  made  public. 

208.  Having  pursued  their  journey  four  days,  the 
most  holy  Mary  and  her  spouse  arrived  at  the  town  of 
Juda,  where  Zachary  and  Elisabeth  then  lived.  This 
was  the  special  and  proper  name  of  the  place,  where 
the  parents  of  saint  John  lived  for  a  while,  and  there- 
fore the  Evangelist  saint  Luke  specifies  it,  calling  it 
Juda,  although  the  commentators  have  commonly  be- 
lieved that  this  was  not  the  name  of  the  town  in  which 
Elisabeth  and  Zacharias  lived,  but  simply  the  name  of 
the  province,  which  was  called  Juda  or  Judea;  just  as 
for  the  same  reason  the  mountains  south  of  Jerusalem 
were  called  the  mountains  of  Judea.  But  it  was  ex- 
pressly revealed  to  me  that  the  town  was  called  Juda 
and  that  the  Evangelist  calls  it  by  its  proper  name;  al- 
though the  learned  expositors  have  understood  by  this 
name  of  Juda  the  province,  in  which  that  town  was  sit- 
uated. This  confusion  arose  from  the  fact  that  some 
years  after  the  death  of  Christ  the  town  Juda  was  de- 
stroyed, and,  as  the  commentators  found  no  trace  of 
such  a  town,  they  inferred  that  saint  Luke  meant  the 
province  and  not  a  town;  thus  the  great  differences  of 
opinion  in  regard  to  the  place,  where  most  holy  Mary 
visited  Elisabeth,  are  easily  explained. 

209.  As  holy  obedience  has  enjoined  upon  me  the 
duty   of  clearing  up   these  doubts,   on  account  of  the 


THE   INCARNATION  169 

strange  inconsistency  in  the  sayings  of  learned  men,  I 
will  also  add  to  what  I  have  already  said,  that  the  house 
in  which  the  visitation  took  place  was  built  upon  the 
very  spot  on  which  now  the  faithful  pilgrims,  who 
travel  to  or  live  in  the  holy  Land,  venerate  the  divine 
mysteries  transacted  during  the  visit.  Although  the 
town  of  Juda  itself,  where  the  house  of  Zacharias  stood 
is  ruined,  the  Lord  did  not  permit  the  memory  of  the 
venerable  locality  in  which  those  great  mysteries  tran- 
spired, and  which  were  hallowed  by  the  footsteps  of 
most  holy  Mary,  of  Christ  our  Lord,  and  of  the  Baptist 
as  well  as  of  his  holy  parents,  to  be  blotted  out  and  ef- 
faced from  the  memory  of  men.  Therefore  it  was  by 
divine  influence,  that  the  ancient  Christians  built  up 
those  churches  and  restored  the  holy  places,  in  order  to 
preserve  by  the  agency  of  divijje  light  the  traditional 
truth  and  to  renew  the  memory  of  the  admirable  sacra- 
ments. Thus  we  ourselves,  the  faithful  of  our  times, 
can  enjoy  the  blessing  of  venerating  and  worshipping 
the  sacred  localities,  proclaiming  and  confessing  our 
Catholic  faith  in  the  works  of  our  Redemption. 

210.  For  the  better  understanding  of  these  things 
let  it  be  remembered  that  after  the  demon  had  become 
aware  on  Calvary  that  Christ  our  Lord  was  God  and 
the  Redeemer  of  men,  he  sought  with  incredible  fury 
to  blot  out  the  remembrance  of  Him  from  the  land  of 
the  living,  as  Jeremias  says  (Jer.  11,  19)  ;  and  the  same 
is  to  be  said  of  the  memory  of  his  most  holy  Mother. 
Thus  he  managed  to  have  the  most  holy  Cross  hidden 
and  buried  under  ground  and  to  have  it  delivered  as 
spoil  of  war  to  the  Persians;  and  in  the  same  way  he 
procured  the  ruin  and  obliteration  of  many  holy  places. 
On  this  account  the  holy  angels  carried  back  and  forth 
so  many  times  the  venerable  and  holy  house  of  Loretto; 


170  CITY    OF   GOD 

for  the  same  dragon  who  pursued  the  heavenly  Lady 
(Apoc.  12,  13),  had  already  excited  the  minds  of  the 
inhabitants  of  that  land  to  tear  down  and  raze  to  the 
ground  that  most  sacred  oratory,  which  had  been  the 
workshop  of  the  Most  High  in  the  mystery  of  the  In- 
carnation. The  same  astute  hatred  of  the  enemy  urged 
him  to  blot  out  the  town  of  Juda,  aided  partly  by  the 
negligence  of  the  inhabitants,  who  gradually  died  off, 
partly  also  by  untoward  events  and  happenings.  Yet  the 
Lord  did  not  allow  all  traces  (?f  the  house  of  Zachary  to 
be  effaced  or  obliterated,  on  account  of  the  sacraments, 
which  were  there  enacted. 

211.  This  town  was  distant  from  Nazareth,  as  I  have 
said,  twenty-six  leagues,  and  about  two  leagues  from 
Jerusalem,  and  it  was  situated  in  that  part  of  the  Judean 
mountains,  where  the  stream  Sorec  takes  its  rise.  After 
the  birth  of  saint  John  and  the  return  of  the  most  holy 
Mary  and  her  spouse  Joseph  to  Nazareth,  saint  Elisa- 
beth received  a  divine  revelation  that  a  great  calamity 
and  slaughter  impended  over  the  infants  of  Bethlehem 
and  its  vicinity.  And  though  this  revelation  was  inde- 
terminate and  unclear,  it  nevertheless  induced  the  mother 
of  saint  John  to  betake  herself  with  Zacharias,  her  hus- 
band, to  Hebron,  which  was  eight  leagues  more  or  less 
from  Jerusalem;  for  they  were  rich  and  noble,  and  they 
had  dwellings  not  only  in  Juda  and  Hebron,  but  they 
had  houses  and  possessions  also  in  other  places.  When 
the  most  holy  Mary  and  Joseph  were  on  their  way  flying 
from  Herod  to  Egypt  (Matth.  2,  14)  after  the  birth  of 
the  Word  and  some  months  after  the  birth  of  saint  John, 
saint  Elisabeth  and  Zacharias  were  in  Hebron.  Zacharias 
died  four  months  after  our  Lord  was  born,  which  was 
ten  months  after  the  birth  of  his  son  John.  It  seems  to 
me  I  have  now  sufficiently  solved  this  doubt,   and  it 


THE   INCARNATION  171 

ought  to  be  evident  that  the  house  of  the  Visitation  was 
neither  in  Jerusalem,  nor  in  Bethlehem,  nor  in  Hebron, 
but  in  the  town  called  Juda.  I  saw  that  this  is  the  true 
explanation,  which  was  made  known  to  me  by  divine 
light  together  with  the  other  mysteries  of  this  heavenly 
history;  afterwards,  when  I  was  constrained  by  obe- 
dience to  ask  about  this  matter,  a  holy  angel  again  made 
the  same  declaration  to  me. 

212.  It  was  at  this  city  of  Juda  and  at  the  house  of 
Zacharias  that  most  holy  Mary  and  Joseph  arrived.  In 
order  to  announce  their  visit,  saint  Joseph  hastened 
ahead  of  Mary  and  calling  out  saluted  the  inmates  of 
the  house,  saying:  "The  Lord  be  with  you  and  fill  your 
souls  with  divine  grace."  Elisabeth  was  already  fore- 
warned, for  the  Lord  himself  had  informed  her  in  a 
vision  that  Mary  of  Nazareth  had  departed  to  visit  her. 
She  had  also  in  this  vision  been  made  aware  that  the 
heavenly  Lady  was  most  pleasing  in  the  eyes  of  the  Most 
High;  while  the  mystery  of  her  being  the  Mother  of 
God  was  not  revealed  to  her  until  the  moment,  when 
they  both  saluted  each  other  in  private.  But  saint  Elisa- 
beth immediately  issued  forth  with  a  few  of  her  family, 
in  order  to  welcome  most  holy  Mary,  who,  as  the  more 
humble  and  younger  in  years,  hastened  to  salute  her 
cousin,  saying:  "The  Lord  be  with  you,  my  dearest 
cousin,"  and  Elisabeth  answered :  "The  same  Lord  re- 
ward you  for  having  come  in  order  to  afford  me  this 
pleasure."  With  these  words  they  entered  the  house  of 
Zacharias  and  what  happened  I  will  relate  in  the  follow- 
ing chapter. 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH  OUR  QUEEN  AND  LADY  GAVE  ME. 

213.  My  daughter,  whenever  the  creature  holds  in 
proper  esteem  the  good  works  and  the  services,  which 


172  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  Lord  commands  for  his  glory,  it  will  feel  within 
itself  great  facility  of  operation,  great  sweetness  in  un- 
dertaking them,  and  a  readiness  and  alacrity  in  continu- 
ing and  pursuing  them.  These  different  feelings  then 
give  testimony  of  their  being  truly  useful  and  com- 
manded by  God.  But  the  soul  cannot  experience  these 
affections,  if  it  is  not  altogether  devoted  to  the  Lord, 
keeping  its  gaze  fixed  upon  his  divine  pleasure,  hearing 
of  it  with  joy,  executing  it  with  alacrity  and  forgetting 
its  own  inclination  and  conveniences.  The  soul  must 
be  like  the  faithful  servant,  who  seeks  to  do  only  the 
will  of  his  master  and  not  his  own.  This  is  the  manner 
of  obeying,  which  is  fruitful  and  which  is  due  from  all 
the  creatures  to  their  God  and  much  more  from  all  the 
religious,  who  explicitly  promise  this  kind  of  obedience. 
In  order  that  thou,  my  dearest,  mayest  attain  to  it  per- 
fectly, remember  with  what  esteem  David  in  many  places 
speaks  of  the  precepts  (Ps.  118),  of  the  sayings  and  of 
the  justifications  of  the  Lord;  and  remember  the  effects, 
which  they  caused  in  that  Prophet  and  even  now  in  the 
souls.  He  says  that  they  make  the  infants  wise  (Ps. 
18,  8),  rejoice  the  heart  of  men  (Ps.  18,  9),  that  they 
enlighten  the  eyes  of  the  soul,  so  that  they  become  a 
most  brilliant  light  for  its  footsteps  (Ps.  118,  105),  that 
they  are  more  sweet  than  honey  (Ps.  18,  11),  more  de- 
sirable and  more  estimable  than  the  most  precious  stones. 
This  promptitude  and  subjection  to  the  divine  will  and 
to  his  laws  made  David  so  conformable  to  the  heart  of 
God.  These  are  the  kind  of  souls  his  Majesty  seeks  for 
his  servants  and  friends  (I  Kings  13,  14,  Acts  13,  22). 
214.  Attend  therefore,  my  daughter,  with  all  solici- 
tude to  the  works  of  virtue  and  perfection,  which  thou 
knowest  to  be  desirable  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord.  De- 
spise none  of  them  nor  withdraw  from  any  of  them  and 


THE    INCARNATION  173 

cease  not  to  exercise  them,  no  matter  how  violently  thy 
inclinations  and  thy  weakness  should  oppose  their  exer- 
cise. Trust  in  the  Lord  and  proceed  to  put  them  into 
execution,  and  soon  his  power  will  overcome  all  diffi- 
culties. Soon  thou  wilt  also  know  by  happy  experience 
how  light  is  the  burden  and  how  sweet  is  the  yoke  of  the 
Lord  (Matth.  11,  13).  He  did  not  deceive  us  when  He 
spoke  those  words,  as  might  be  argued  by  the  tepid 
and  the  negligent,  who  in  their  torpidity  and  distrust, 
tacitly  repudiate  the  truth  of  this  statement.  I  wish  also 
that  thou,  in  order  to  imitate  me  in  this  perfection,  take 
notice  of  the  favor,  which  the  divine  condescension 
vouchsafed  me  in  furnishing  me  with  a  most  sweet  love 
and  affection  for  the  creatures  as  participators  in  the 
divine  goodness  and  existence.  In  this  love  I  sought 
to  console,  alleviate  and  enliven  all  the  souls;  and  by  a 
natural  compassion  I  procured  all  spiritual  and  cor- 
poreal goods  for  them ;  to  none  of  them,  no  matter  how 
great  sinners  they  might  have  been,  did  I  wish  any 
evil;  on  the  contrary  I  was  urged  by  the  great  compas- 
sion of  my  tender  heart  to  procure  for  them  eternal  sal- 
vation. From  this  also  arose  my  anxiety  concerning 
the  grief,  which  was  to  grow  out  of  my  pregnancy  to 
my  spouse  saint  Joseph;  for  to  him  I  owed  more  than 
to  all  other  creatures.  Tender  compassion  filled  my 
heart,  especially  for  the  suffering  and  the  infirm,  and  I 
tried  to  obtain  some  relief  for  all.  In  these  virtues  then 
I  wish  that  thou,  making  use  of  the  knowledge  of  them 
given  to  thee,  most  prudently  imitate  me. 


2-lS 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THS  salutation  given  to  saint  ELISABETH  BY  THE 
QUEEN  OF  HEAVEN,  AND  THE  SANCTIFICATION  OF 
JOHN. 

215.  When  the  most  holy  Mother  Mary  arrived  at  the 
house  of  Zacharias,  the  Precursor  of  Christ  had  com- 
pleted the  sixth  month  of  his  conception  in  the  womb 
of  saint  Elisabeth.  The  body  of  the  child  John  had 
already  attained  a  state  of  great  natural  perfection; 
much  greater  than  that  of  other  children,  on  account  of 
the  miracle  of  his  conception  by  a  sterile  mother  and 
on  account  of  the  intention  of  the  Most  High  to  make 
him  the  depositary  of  greater  sanctity  than  other  men 
(Matth.  11,  11).  Yet  at  that  time  his  soul  was  yet  filled 
with  the  darkness  of  sin,  which  he  had  contracted  in 
the  same  way  as  the  other  children  of  Adam,  the  first 
and  common  father  of  the  human  race;  and  as,  accord- 
ing to  the  universal  and  general  law,  mortals  cannot 
receive  the  light  of  grace  before  they  have  issued  forth 
to  the  light  of  the  sun  (Rom.  5,  7)  ;  so,  after  the  first, 
the  original  sin  contracted  by  our  nature,  the  womb  of 
the  mother  must  serve  as  a  dungeon  or  prison  for  all  of 
us,  who  have  laden  upon  ourselves  this  guilt  of  our 
father  and  head,  Adam.  Christ  our  Lord  resolved  to 
anticipate  this  great  blessing  in  his  Prophet  and  Pre- 
cursor by  conferring  the  light  of  his  grace  and  justifi- 
cation upon  him  six  months  after  his  conception  by 
saint  Elisabeth,  in  order  that  he  might  be  distinguished 

174 


THE    INCARNATION  175 

as  well  in  holiness,  as  he  was  in  his  office  of  Precursor 
and  Baptist. 

216.  After  the  first  salutation  of  Elisabeth  by  the 
most  holy  Mary,  the  two  cousins  retired,  as  I  have  said 
at  the  end  of  the  preceding  chapter.  And  immediately 
the  Mother  of  grace  saluted  anew  her  cousin  saying: 
"May  God  save  thee,  my  dearest  cousin,  and  may  his 
divine  light  communicate  to  thee  grace  and  life"  (Luke 
1,  40).  At  the  sound  of  most  holy  Mary's  voice,  saint 
Elisabeth  was  filled  by  the  Holy  Ghost  and  so  enlight- 
ened interiorly,  that  in  one  instant  she  perceived  the 
most  exalted  mysteries  and  sacraments.  These  emo- 
tions, and  those  that  at  the  same  time  were  felt  by  the 
child  John  in  the  womb  of  his  mother,  were  caused  by 
the  presence  of  the  Word  made  flesh  in  the  bridal  cham- 
ber of  Mary's  womb,  for,  making  use  of  the  voice  of 
Mary  as  his  instrument.  He,  as  Redeemer,  began  from 
that  place  to  use  the  power  given  to  Him  by  the  eternal 
Father  for  the  salvation  and  justification  of  the  souls. 
And  since  He  now  operated  as  man,  though  as  yet  of 
the  diminutive  size  of  one  conceived  eight  days  before, 
He  assumed,  in  admirable  humility,  the  form  and  pos- 
ture of  one  praying  and  beseeching  the  Father,  He 
asked  in  earnest  prayer  for  the  justification  of  his  future 
Precursor  and  obtained  it  at  the  hands  of  the  blessed 
Trinity. 

217.  Saint  John  was  the  third  one  for  whom  our 
Redeemer  made  special  petition  since  his  presence  in 
the  womb  of  his  mother.  His  Mother  was  the  first 
for  whom  He  gave  thanks  and  prayed  to  the  Father; 
next  in  order  was  her  spouse,  saint  Joseph,  for  whom  the 
incarnate  Word  offered  up  his  prayers,  as  we  have  said 
in  the  twelfth  chapter;  and  the  third  one  was  the  Pre- 
cursor saint  John,  whom  the  Lord  mentioned  by  name  in 


176  CITY   OF   GOD 

his  prayers  to  the  Father.  Such  was  the  great  good  for- 
tune and  privilege  of  saint  John,  that  Christ  our  Lord 
presented  to  the  eternal  Father  the  merits  of  his  Passion 
and  Death  to  be  endured  for  men;  and  in  view  thereof 
He  requested  the  sanctification  of  this  soul.  He  ap- 
pointed and  set  apart  this  child  as  one  who  is  to  be  born 
holy  as  his  Precursor  and  as  a  witness  of  his  coming  into 
the  world  (John  1,  7)  ;  as  one  who  was  to  prepare  the 
hearts  of  his  people  in  order  that  they  might  recognize 
and  receive  Him  as  the  Messias.  He  ordained  that  for 
such  an  exalted  ministry  the  Precursor  should  receive 
all  the  graces,  gifts  and  favors  which  are  befitting  and 
proportionate  to  his  office.  All  this  the  Father  granted 
just  as  the  Onlybegotten  had  requested  it  of  Him. 

218.  This  happened  before  the  most  holy  Mary  had 
put  her  salutation  into  words.  At  the  pronunciation  of 
the  words  mentioned  above,  God  looked  upon  the  child 
in  the  womb  of  saint  Elisabeth,  and  gave  it  perfect  use 
of  reason,  enlightening  it  with  his  divine  light,  in  order 
that  he  might  prepare  himself  by  foreknowledge  for  the 
blessings  which  he  was  to  receive.  Together  with  this 
preparation  he  was  sanctified  from  original  sin,  made  an 
adopted  son  of  God,  and  filled  with  the  most  abundant 
graces  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  the  plenitude  of  all 
his  gifts;  his  faculties  were  sanctified,  subjected  and  sub- 
ordinated to  reason,  thus  verifying  in  himself  what  the 
archangel  Gabriel  had  said  to  Zacharias;  that  His  son 
would  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  from  the  womb  of 
his  mother  (Luke  1,  17).  At  the  same  time  the  for- 
tunate child,  looking  through  the  walls  of  the  maternal 
womb  as  through  clear  glass  upon  the  incarnate  Word, 
and  assuming  a  kneeling  posture,  adored  his  Redeemer 
and  Creator,  whom  he  beheld  in  most  holy  Mary  as  if 
enclosed  in  a  chamber  made  of  the  purest  crystal.    This 


THE   INCARNATION  177 

was  the  movement  of  jubilation,  which  was  felt  by  his 
mother  EHsabeth  as  coming  from  the  infant  in  her 
womb  (Luke  1,  44).  Many  other  acts  of  virtue  the 
child  John  performed  during  this  interview,  exercising 
faith,  hope,  charity,  worship,  gratitude,  humility,  devo- 
tion and  all  the  other  virtues  possible  to  him  there.  From 
that  moment  he  began  to  merit  and  grow  in  sanctity, 
without  ever  losing  it  and  without  ever  ceasing  to  exer- 
cise it  with  all  the  vigor  of  grace. 

219.  Saint  Elisabeth  was  instructed  at  the  same  time 
in  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation,  the  sanctification  of 
her  own  son  and  the  sacramental  purpose  of  this  new 
wonder.  She  also  became  aware  of  the  virginal  purity 
and  of  the  dignity  of  the  most  holy  Mary,  On  this  oc- 
casion, the  heavenly  Queen,  being  absorbed  in  the  vision 
of  the  Divinity  and  of  the  mysteries  operated  by  it 
through  her  most  holy  Son,  became  entirely  godlike, 
filled  with  the  clear  light  of  the  divine  gifts  which  She 
participated ;  and  thus  filled  with  majesty  saint  Elisabeth 
saw  Her.  She  saw  the  Word  made  man  as  through  a 
most  pure  and  clear  glass  in  the  virginal  chamber,  lying 
as  it  were  on  a  couch  of  burning  and  enlivened  crystal. 
The  efficacious  instrument  of  all  these  wonderful  ef- 
fects was  the  voice  of  most  holy  Mary,  as  powerful  as 
it  was  sweet  in  the  hearing  of  the  Lord,  All  this  force 
was  as  it  were  only  an  outflow  of  that  which  was  con- 
tained in  those  powerful  words:  "Fiat  mihi  secundum 
verbum  tuum,"  by  which  She  had  drawn  the  eternal 
Word  from  the  bosom  of  the  Father  down  to  her  soul 
and  into  her  womb. 

220.  Filled  with  admiration  at  what  She  saw  and 
heard  in  regard  to  these  divine  mysteries,  saint  Elisa- 
beth was  wrapt  in  the  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and, 
looking  upon  the  Queen  of  the  world  and  what  was 


178  CITY   OF   GOD 

contained  in  Her,  she  burst  forth  in  loud  voice  of  praise, 
pronouncing  the  words  reported  to  us  by  saint  L,uke: 
"Blessed  are  Thou  among  women  and  blessed  is  the 
fruit  of  thy  womb.  And  whence  is  this  to  me,  that  the 
Mother  of  my  Lord  should  come  to  me?  For  behold 
as  soon  as  the  voice  of  thy  salutation  sounded  in  my 
ears,  the  infant  in  my  womb  leaped  for  joy,  and  blessed 
art  Thou,  that  has  believed,  because  those  things  shall 
be  accomplished,  that  were  spoken  to  Thee  by  the  Lord." 
In  these  prophetic  words  saint  Elisabeth  rehearsed  the 
noble  privileges  of  most  holy  Mary,  perceiving  by  the 
divine  light  what  the  power  of  the  Lord  had  done  in 
Her,  what  He  now  performed,  and  what  He  was  to  ac- 
complish through  Her  in  time  to  come.  All  this  also 
the  child  John  perceived  and  understood,  while  listen- 
ing to  the  words  of  his  mother;  for  she  was  enlight- 
ened for  the  purpose  of  his  sanctification,  and  since  he 
could  not  from  his  place  in  the  womb  bless  and  thank 
her  by  word  of  mouth,  she,  both  for  herself  and  for 
her  son,  extolled  the  most  holy  Mary  as  being  the  in- 
strument of  their  good  fortune. 

221.  These  words  of  praise,  pronounced  by  saint 
Elisabeth  were  referred  by  the  Mother  of  wisdom  and 
humility  to  the  Creator;  and  in  the  sweetest  and  softest 
voice  She  intoned  the  Magnificat  as  recorded  by  saint 
Luke  (Ch.  1,46-55). 

46.  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord; 

47.  And  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Saviour. 

48.  Because  He  hath  regarded  the  humility  of  his 
handmaid ;  for  behold  from  henceforth  all  genera- 
tions shall  call  me  blessed. 

49.  Because  He  that  is  mighty  hath  done  great 
things  to  me;  and  holy  is  his  name. 


THE    INCARNATION  179 

50.  And  his  mercy  is  from  generation  unto  gen- 
eration to  them  that  fear  Him. 

51.  He  hath  shewed  might  in  his  arm;  He  hath 
scattered  the  proud  in  the  conceit  of  their  heart. 

52.  He  hath  put  down  the  mighty  from  their  seat 
and  hath  exalted  the  humble. 

53.  He  hath  filled  the  hungry  with  good  things; 
and  the  rich  He  hath  sent  empty  away. 

54.  He    hath    received    Israel,    his    servant,    being 
mindful  of  his  mercy; 

55.  As  He  spoke  to  our  fathers,  to  Abraham  and 
his  seed  forever." 

222.  Just  as  saint  Elisabeth  was  the  first  one  who 
heard  this  sweet  canticle  from  the  mouth  of  most  holy 
Mary,  so  she  was  also  the  first  one  who  understood  it 
and,  by  means  of  her  infused  knowledge,  commented 
upon  it.  She  penetrated  some  of  the  great  mysteries, 
which  its  Authoress  expressed  therein  in  so  few  sen- 
tences. The  soul  of  most  holy  Mary  magnified  the 
Lord  for  the  excellence  of  his  infinite  Essence ;  to  Him 
She  referred  and  yielded  all  glory  and  praise  (I  Tim.  1, 
17),  both  for  the  beginning  and  the  accomplishment  of 
her  works.  She  knew  and  confessed  that  in  God  alone 
every  creature  should  glory  and  rejoice,  since  He  alone 
is  their  entire  happiness  and  salvation  (II  Cor.  10,  17). 
She  confessed  also  the  equity  and  magnificence  of  the 
Most  High  in  attending  to  the  humble  and  in  confer- 
ring upon  them  his  abundant  spirit  of  divine  love  (Ps. 
137,  6).  She  saw  how  worthy  of  mortals  it  is  to  per- 
ceive, understand  and  ponder  the  gifts  that  were  con- 
ferred on  the  humility  of  Her,  whom  all  nations  were 
to  call  blessed,  and  how  all  the  humble  ones,  each  one 
according  to  his  degree,  could  share  the  same  good  for- 
tune.    By  one  word  also  She  expressed  all  the  mercies. 


180  CITY   OF   GOD 

benefits  and  blessings,  which  the  Almighty  showered 
upon  Her  in  his  holy  and  wonderful  name;  for  She  calls 
them  altogether  "great  things"  since  there  was  nothing 
small  about  anything  that  referred  to  this  great  Queen 
and  Lady. 

223.  And  as  the  mercies  of  the  Most  High  over- 
flowed from  Mary's  plenitude  to  the  whole  human  race, 
and  as  She  was  the  portal  of  heaven,  through  which  they 
issued  and  continue  to  issue,  and  through  which  we  are 
to  enter  into  the  participation  of  the  Divinity;  therefore 
She  confessed,  that  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  in  regard  to 
Her  is  spread  out  over  all  the  generations,  communi- 
cating itself  to  them  that  fear  Him.  And  just  as  the  in- 
finite mercies  raise  up  the  humble  and  seek  out  those 
that  fear  God;  so  also  the  powerful  arm  of  divine  jus- 
tice scatters  and  destroys  those  who  are  proud  in  the 
mind  of  their  heart,  and  hurls  them  from  their  thrones 
in  order  to  set  in  their  place  the  poor  and  lowly.  This 
justice  of  the  Lord  was  exercised  in  wonderful  splendor 
and  glory  upon  the  chief  of  all  the  proud,  Lucifer  and 
his  followers,  when  the  almighty  arm  of  God  scattered 
and  hurled  them  (because  they  themselves  precipitated 
themselves)  from  their  exalted  seats  which  befitted  their 
angelic  natures  and  their  graces,  and  which  they  occu- 
pied according  to  the  original  (Isaias  14;  Apoc.  12) 
decree  of  the  divine  love.  For  by  it  He  intended  that 
all  should  be  blessed  (I  Tim.  2,  4)  while  they,  in  trying 
to  ascend  in  their  vain  pride  to  positions,  which  they 
neither  could  attain  nor  should  aspire  to,  on  the  con- 
trary cast  themselves  from  those  which  they  occupied 
(Isaias  14,  13).  In  their  arrogance  they  were  found 
opposed  to  the  just  and  inscrutable  judgments  of  the 
L(Ord,  which  scattered  and  cast  down  the  proud  angel 
and  all  his  followers  (Apoc.  12,  8).    In  their  place  were 


THE   INCARNATION  181 

installed  the  humble  of  heart  through  the  mediation  of 
most  holy  Mary,  the  Mother  and  the  treasure  house  of 
his  ancient  mercies. 

224.  For  the  same  reason  this  divine  Lady  says  and 
proclaims  that  God  enriches  the  needy,  filling  them  with 
the  abundance  of  his  treasures  of  grace  and  glory;  and 
those  that  are  rich  in  their  own  estimation  and  pre- 
sumptuous arrogance,  and  those  who  satisfy  their  heart 
with  the  false  goods,  which  the  world  esteems  as  riches 
and  happiness,  the  Most  High  has  banished  and  does 
banish  from  his  presence,  because  they  are  void  of  the 
truth,  which  cannot  enter  into  hearts  filled  and  occupied 
with  falsehood  and  deceit.  He  received  his  servants  and 
his  children,  the  people  of  Israel,  remembering  his  mer- 
cies in  order  to  teach  them,  wherein  prudence,  truth  and 
understanding  (Bar.  3,  14),  wherein  free  and  abundant 
life  and  nourishment,  wherein  the  light  of  the  eyes  and 
peace  consists.  He  taught  them  the  way  of  prudence 
and  the  hidden  paths  of  wisdom  and  discipline,  which 
is  concealed  from  the  princes  of  the  gentiles,  and  is  not 
known  to  the  powerful,  who  dominate  over  the  beasts 
of  the  earth  and  entertain  themselves  and  play  with  the 
birds  of  the  air  and  heap  up  treasures  of  gold  and  silver. 
Nor  can  the  sons  of  Agar  and  the  inhabitants  of  Teman, 
who  are  the  wise  and  the  proudly  prudent  of  this  world, 
ever  attain  this  wisdom.  But  to  those  that  are  sons  of 
the  light  (Galat.  3,  7),  and  who  are  sons  of  Abraham  by 
faith,  hope  and  obedience,  the  Most  High  distributes  it; 
for  in  this  manner  has  it  been  promised  to  his  posterity 
and  his  spiritual  children,  made  secure  by  the  blessed 
and  happy  Fruit  of  the  virginal  womb  of  the  most  holy 
Mary. 

225.  Saint  Elisabeth  looking  upon  Mary  the  Queen 
of  creation  understood  these  hidden  mysteries;  and  not 


182  CITY   OF   GOD 

only  those,  which  I  am  able  to  express  here,  did  this  for- 
tunate matron  understand,  but  many  more  and  greater 
sacraments,  which  my  understanding  cannot  compre- 
hend; nor  do  I  wish  to  dilate  upon  all  that  have  been 
shown  to  me,  lest  I  unduly  extend  this  history.  But  the 
sweet  discourses  and  conversations,  which  these  two  holy 
and  discreet  ladies  held  with  each  other,  reminded  me  of 
the  two  seraphim,  which  Isaias  saw  above  the  throne  of 
the  Most  High,  repeating  the  divine  and  always  new 
canticle:  Holy,  holy,  etc.,  while  they  covered  their  head 
with  one  pair  of  wings,  their  feet  with  another,  flew 
with  the  third  pair  (Isaias  6,  2).  It  is  certain  that  the 
inflamed  love  of  these  two  holy  women  exceeded  that 
of  all  the  seraphim,  and  Mary  by  Herself  loved  more 
than  they  all  together.  They  were  consumed  in  the  flame 
of  divine  love,  extending  the  two  wings  of  their  hearts 
in  order  to  manifest  to  each  other  their  love  and  in  order 
to  soar  into  the  most  exalted  intelligence  of  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Most  High,  With  two  more  wings  of 
rarest  knowledge  they  covered  their  faces;  because  both 
of  them  discussed  and  contemplated  the  sacrament  of 
the  King  (Tob.  12,  7),  guarding  its  secrets  within 
themselves  all  their  lives;  also  because  they  restrained 
their  discourse  and  subjected  it  to  their  devoted  faith, 
without  giving  scope  to  proud  inquisitiveness.  They  also 
covered  the  feet  of  the  Lord  and  their  own  with  the 
third  pair  of  seraphic  wings,  because  they  were  lowered 
and  annihilated  in  their  own  humble  estimation  of  them- 
selves at  the  sight  of  such  great  Majesty.  Moreover 
since  most  holy  Mary  enclosed  within  her  virginal  womb 
the  God  of  majesty  himself,  we  can  with  reason  and 
with  literal  truth  say,  that  She  covered  the  seat  where 
the  Lord  sat  enthroned. 

226.  When  it  was  time  to  come  forth  from  their  re- 


THE    INCARNATION  183 

tirement,  saint  Elisabeth  offered  herself  and  her  whole 
family  and  all  her  house  for  the  service  of  the  Queen 
of  heaven.  She  asked  Her  to  accept,  as  a  quiet  retreat, 
the  room  which  she  herself  was  accustomed  to  use  for 
her  prayers,  and  which  was  much  retired  and  accom- 
modated to  that  purpose.  The  heavenly  Princess  ac- 
cepted the  chamber  with  humble  thanks,  and  made  use 
of  it  for  recollecting  Herself  and  sleeping  therein,  and 
no'one  ever  entered  it,  except  the  two  cousins.  As  for 
the  rest  She  offered  to  serve  and  assist  Elisabeth  as  a 
handmaid,  for  She  said,  that  this  was  the  purpose  of 
visiting  her  and  consoling  her.  O  what  friendship  is 
so  true,  so  sweet  and  inseparable,  as  that  which  is 
formed  by  the  great  bond  of  the  divine  love!  How  ad- 
mirable is  the  Lord  in  manifesting  this  great  sacrament 
of  the  Incarnation  to  three  women  before  He  would 
make  it  known  to  any  one  else  in  the  human  race!  For 
the  first  was  saint  Anne,  as  I  have  said  in  its  place;  the 
second  one  was  her  Daughter  and  the  Mother  of  the 
Word,  most  holy  Mary;  the  third  one  was  saint  Elisa- 
beth, and  conjointly  with  Her,  her  son,  for  he  being  yet 
in  the  womb  of  his  mother,  cannot  be  considered  as  dis- 
tinct from  her.  Thus  "the  foolishness  of  God  is  wiser 
than  men,"  as  saint  Paul  says. 

227.  The  most  holy  Mary  and  Elisabeth  came  forth 
from  their  retirement  at  nightfall,  having  passed  a  long 
time  together;  and  the  Queen  saw  Zacharias  standing 
before  Her  in  his  muteness,  and  She  asked  him  for  his 
blessing  as  from  a  priest  of  the  Lord,  which  the  saint 
also  gave  to  Her.  Yet,  although  She  tenderly  pitied 
him  for  his  affliction,  She  did  not  exert  her  power  to 
cure  him,  because  She  knew  the  mysterious  occasion  of 
his  dumbness;  yet  She  offered  a  prayer  for  him.  Saint 
Elisabeth,  who  already  knew  the  good  fortune  of  the 


184  CITY   OF   GOD 

most  chaste  spouse  Joseph,  although  he  himself  as  yet 
was  not  aware  of  it,  entertained  and  served  him  with 
great  reverence  and  highest  esteem.  After  staying  three 
days  in  the  house  of  Zacharias,  however,  he  asked  per- 
mission of  his  heavenly  Spouse  Mary  to  return  to  Naza- 
reth and  leave  Her  in  the  company  of  saint  Elisabeth 
in  order  to  assist  her  in  her  pregnancy.  The  holy  hus- 
band left  them  with  the  understanding  that  he  was  to 
return  in  order  to  accompany  the  Queen  home  as  soon 
as  they  should  give  him  notice;  saint  Elisabeth  offered 
him  some  presents  to  take  home  with  him ;  but  he  would 
take  only  a  small  part  of  them,  yielding  only  to  their 
earnest  solicitations,  for  this  man  of  God  was  not  only  a 
lover  of  poverty,  but  was  possessed  of  a  magnanimous 
and  noble  heart.  Therewith  he  pursued  his  way  back  to 
Nazareth,  taking  along  with  him  the  little  beast  of  bur- 
den, which  they  had  brought  with  them.  At  home,  in 
the  absence  of  his  Spouse,  he  was  served  by  a  neigh- 
boring woman  and  cousin  of  his,  who,  also  when  most 
holy  Mary  was  at  home,  was  wont  to  come  and  go  on 
the  necessary  errands  outside  of  the  house. 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH  THE  QUEEN  AND  LADY  GAVE  ME- 

228.  My  daughter,  in  order  that  thy  heart  may  be 
ever  more  and  more  inflamed  with  the  desire  of  gaining 
the  grace  and  friendship  of  God,  I  wish  very  much 
that  thou  grow  in  the  knowledge  of  the  dignity,  excel- 
lence and  happiness  of  a  soul,  that  has  been  endowed 
with  this  privilege ;  however,  remember  that  it  is  so  ad- 
mirable and  of  so  great  a  value  that  thou  canst  not  com- 
prehend it,  even  if  I  would  explain  it  to  thee;  and  much 
less  canst  thou  express  it  in  words.  Look  upon  the 
Lord  and  contemplate  Him  by  means  of  the  divine  light. 


THE   INCARNATION  185 

which  thou  receivest,  and  then  thou  wilt  understand  that 
the  Lord  performs  a  greater  work  in  justifying  a  soul 
than  in  having  created  all  the  orbs  of  heaven  and  the 
whole  earth  with  all  the  beauty  and  perfection  contained 
within  them.  And  if  on  account  of  the  wonders  which 
creatures  are  able  in  part  to  perceive  in  these  works  by 
the  senses,  they  are  impressed  with  the  greatness  and 
power  of  God,  what  would  they  say  and  think  if  they 
could  see  with  the  eyes  of  their  soul  the  preciousness  and 
beauty  of  grace  in  so  many  creatures,  who  are  capable 
of  receiving  them? 

229.  There  are  no  terms  of  human  language  equal  to 
the  task  of  expressing  what  participations  and  perfec- 
tions of  God  are  contained  in  sanctifying  grace.  It  is 
little  to  say  that  it  is  more  pure  and  spotless  than  the 
snow;  more  refulgent  than  the  sun;  more  precious  than 
gold  or  precious  stones,  more  charming,  more  amiable 
and  pleasing  than  all  the  most  delightful  feasts  and  en- 
tertainments, and  more  beautiful  than  all  that  in  its  en- 
tirety can  be  imagined  or  desired  by  the  creatures.  Take 
notice  also  of  the  ugliness  of  sin,  in  order  that  by  the 
opposite  thou  mayest  come  to  so  much  the  better  under- 
standing of  the  beauty  of  grace;  for  neither  darknesses, 
nor  rottenness,  nor  the  most  horrible,  the  most  dreadful, 
nor  the  foulest  of  creatures  can  ever  be  compared  to  sin 
and  to  its  ugliness.  The  martyrs  and  saints  understood 
much  of  this  mystery  (Heb.  11,  36),  who  in  order  to 
secure  the  beauty  of  grace  and  preserve  themselves 
from  the  ruin  of  sin,  did  not  fear  fire,  nor  wild  beasts, 
nor  the  sword,  nor  torments,  nor  prisons,  ignominies, 
pains,  afflictions,  nor  death  itself,  nor  prolonged  and  per- 
petual suffering;  for  to  escape  all  these  must  be  counted 
for  little  or  nothing,  and  rhust  scarcely  be  thought 
of  in  comparison  with  one  degree  of  grace,  which  souls 


186  CITY   OF   GOD 

may  attain,  even  though  they  be  the  most  abject  of  the 
whole  world.  All  this  the  men,  who  esteem  and  seek 
after  the  fugitive  and  apparent  beauty  of  creatures,  are 
ignorant  of;  and  whatever  does  not  present  to  them 
this  deceitful  beauty,  is  for  them  vile  and  contemptible. 
230.  Thou  perceivest  therefore  something  of  the 
greatness  of  the  blessing,  which  the  incarnate  Word  con- 
ferred upon  his  Precursor  in  the  womb  of  his  mother; 
and  because  saint  John  recognized  it,  he  leaped  for  joy 
and  exultation  in  the  womb  of  his  mother.  Thou  wilt 
also  see  what  thou  thyself  must  do  and  suffer  in  order 
to  attain  this  happiness,  and  in  order  not  to  lose,  or  in 
the  least  impair  this  most  precious  beauty  by  any  fault, 
nor  retard  its  consummation  by  any  imperfection,  no 
matter  how  small.  I  wish  that  in  imitation  of  my  cousin 
Elisabeth,  thou  do  not  enter  into  any  friendship  with 
any  human  creatures,  except  those,  with  whom  thou 
canst  and  shouldst  converse  about  the  works  of  the  Most 
High  and  of  his  mysteries,  and  with  whom  thou  canst 
learn  to  pursue  the  true  path  of  his  divine  pleasure.  Al- 
though thou  art  engaged  in  important  undertakings  and 
works,  do  not  forget  or  omit  thy  spiritual  exercises  and 
the  strictness  of  a  perfect  life;  for  this  must  not  only  be 
preserved  and  watched  over,  when  all  things  go 
smoothly,  but  also  under  the  greatest  adversity,  diffi- 
culty and  labor;  for  imperfect  human  nature  takes  oc- 
casion of  the  slightest  circumstance  to  relax  its  vigilance. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

MOST  HOI.Y  MARY  ARRANGES  THE  ORDER  OF  HER  DAILY 
EXERCISES  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  ZACHARIAS;  SOME  IN- 
CIDENTS IN  HER  INTERCOURSE  WITH  SAINT  EUSA- 
BETH. 

231.  When  the  Precursor  John  had  been  sanctified 
and  saint  Ehsabeth,  his  mother,  had  been  endowed  with 
such  great  gifts  and  blessings,  and  when  thus  the  princi- 
pal object  of  Mary's  visit  was  fulfilled,  the  great  Queen 
proceeded  to  arrange  her  daily  life  in  the  house  of  Zach- 
arias;  for  her  occupations  could  not  be  uniformly  the 
same  as  those  She  was  accustomed  to  in  her  own  house. 
In  order  to  direct  her  desire  by  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  She  retired  and  placed  Herself  in  the  presence  of 
the  Most  High,  asking  Him  as  usual  to  guide  Her  and 
direct  Her  in  that  which  She  was  to  do  during  her  stay 
in  the  house  of  his  servants  Elisabeth  and  Zacharias;  so 
that  She  might  in  all  things  be  pleasing  to  Him  and 
fulfill  entirely  his  pleasure.  The  Lord  heard  Her  peti- 
tion and  answered  Her  saying:  "My  Spouse  and  my 
Dove,  I  will  direct  all  thy  actions  and  I  will  direct  thy 
footsteps  in  the  fulfillment  of  my  service  and  pleasure, 
and  I  will  make  known  to  thee  the  day  on  which  I  wish 
thee  to  return  to  thy  home.  In  the  meanwhile  remain 
in  the  house  of  my  servant  Elisabeth  and  converse  with 
her.  As  for  the  rest,  continue  thy  exercises  and  prayers, 
especially  for  the  salvation  of  men,  and  pray  also,  that  I 
withhold  my  justice  in  dealing  with  their  incessant  of- 
fenses against  my  bounty.  Conjointly  with  thy  prayers 
thou  shalt  offer  to  Me  the  Lamb  without  spot  (I  Pet.  1, 

187 


188  CITY   OF   GOD 

19)  which  thou  bearest  in  thy  womb  and  which  takes 
away  the  sins  of  the  world  (John  1,  291).  Let  these 
now  be  thy  occupations." 

232.  In  conformity  with  this  instruction  and  new 
mandate  of  the  Most  High,  the  Princess  of  heaven  or- 
dered all  her  occupations  in  the  house  of  her  cousin 
Elisabeth.  She  rose  up  at  midnight  in  accordance  with 
her  former  custom,  spending  the  hours  in  the  continued 
contemplation  of  the  divine  mysteries  and  giving  to  wak- 
ing and  sleep  the  time,  which  most  perfectly  and  exactly 
agreed  with  the  natural  state  and  conditions  of  her 
body.  In  labor  and  repose  She  continued  to  receive  new 
favors,  illuminations,  exaltation  and  caresses  of  the 
Lord.  During  these  three  months  She  had  many  visions 
of  the  Divinity,  mostly  abstractive  in  kind.  More  fre- 
quent still  were  the  visions  of  the  most  holy  humanity 
of  the  Word  in  its  hypostatic  union;  for  her  virginal 
womb,  in  which  She  bore  Him,  served  Her  as  her  con- 
tinual altar  and  sanctuary.  She  beheld  the  daily  growth 
of  that  sacred  body.  By  this  experience  and  by  the 
sacraments,  which  every  day  were  made  manifest  to  Her 
in  the  boundless  fields  of  the  divine  power  and  essence, 
the  spirit  of  this  exalted  Lady  expanded  to  vast  propor- 
tions. Many  times  would  She  have  been  consumed  and 
have  died  by  the  violence  of  her  affections,  if  She  had 
not  been  strengthened  by  the  power  of  the  Lord.  To 
these  occupations,  which  were  concealed  from  all.  She 
added  those,  which  the  service  and  consolation  of  her 
cousin  Elisabeth  demanded,  although  She  did  not  apply 
one  moment  more  to  them,  than  charity  required.  These 
fulfilled,  She  turned  immediately  to  her  solitude  and 
recollection,  where  she  could  pour  out  the  more  freely 
her  spirit  before  the  Lord. 

2Z2>.  Not  less  solicitous  was  She  to  occupy  Herself  in- 


THE   INCARNATION  189 

teriorly,  while  She  was  engaged  for  many  hours  in  man- 
ual occupations.  And  in  all  this  the  Precursor  was  so 
fortunate  that  the  great  Queen,  with  her  own  hands, 
sewed  and  prepared  the  swaddling  clothes  and  coverlets 
in  which  he  was  to  be  wrapped  and  reared;  for  his 
mother  Elisabeth,  in  her  maternal  solicitude  and  atten- 
tion, had  secured  for  saint  John  this  good  fortune,  hum- 
bly asking  this  favor  of  the  heavenly  Queen.  Mary  with 
incredible  love  and  subjection  complied  with  her  request 
in  order  to  exercise  Herself  in  obedience  to  her  cousin, 
whom  She  wished  to  serve  as  the  lowest  handmaid ;  for 
in  humility  and  obedience  most  holy  Mary  always  sur- 
passed all  men.  Although  saint  Elisabeth  sought  to 
anticipate  Her  in  much  that  belonged  to  her  service, 
yet,  in  her  rare  prudence  and  wisdom,  Mary  knew  how 
to  forestall  her  cousin,  always  gaining  the  triumph  of 
humility. 

234.  In  this  regard  a  great  and  sweet  competition 
arose  between  the  two  cousins,  which  was  very  pleasing 
to  the  Most  High  and  wonderful  in  the  sight  of  the 
angels;  for  saint  Elisabeth  was  very  solicitous  and  at- 
tentive in  serving  our  Lady  and  great  Queen,  and  in 
commanding  also  the  same  service  to  be  rendered  Her 
by  all  the  inmates  of  the  house.  But  She,  who  was  the 
Teacher  of  virtues,  most  holy  Mary,  being  still  more 
attentive  and  eager  to  serve,  met  and  diverted  the  anxie- 
ties of  her  cousin,  saying:  "My  dear  cousin,  I  find  my 
consolation  in  being  commanded  and  in  obeying  during 
all  my  life;  it  is  not  good  that  thy  love  should  deprive 
me  of  the  comfort  I  feel  therein ;  since  I  am  the  younger 
one,  it  is  proper  that  I  serve  not  only  thee,  as  my  mother, 
but  all  in  thy  house ;  deal  with  me  as  with  thy  servant  as 
long  as  I  am  in  thy  company."  Saint  Elisabeth  an- 
swered: "My  beloved  Lady,  it  beseems  much  more  that 

2-14 


190  CITY   OF   GOD 

I  obey  Thee  and  that  Thou  command  and  direct  me  in 
all  things;  and  this  I  ask  of  thee  with  greater  justice. 
For  if  Thou,  the  Mistress,  wishest  to  exercise  humility, 
I  on  my  part  owe  worship  and  reverence  to  my  God  and 
Lord,  whom  Thou  bearest  in  thy  virginal  womb,  and  I 
know  that  thy  dignity  is  worthy  of  all  honor  and  rev- 
erence," And  the  most  prudent  Virgin  rejoined:  "My 
Son  and  Lord  did  not  choose  me  for  his  Mother,  in 
order  that  I  receive  reverence  as  mistress;  for  his  king- 
dom is  not  of  this  world  (Joan  18,  36),  nor  did  He 
come  into  it  in  order  to  be  served;  but  to  serve  (Matth. 
20,  28),  and  to  sufifer,  and  to  teach  obedience  and  hu- 
mility to  mortals  (Matth.  11,  29),  condemning  fastidi- 
ousness and  pride.  Since  therefore  his  Majesty  teaches 
me  this  and  the  Highest  calls  Himself  the  ignominy  of 
men  (Ps.  21,  22),  how  can  I,  who  am  his  slave  and  do 
not  merit  the  company  of  creatures,  consent  that  thou 
serve  me,  who  art  formed  according  to  his  image  and 
likeness?"  (Gen.  1,  27). 

235.  Saint  Elisabeth  still  insisted  and  said :  "My  Mis- 
tress and  Protectress,  this  is  true  for  those,  who  do  not 
know  the  sacrament  which  is  enclosed  in  Thee.  But  I, 
who  have  without  merit  been  informed  by  the  Lord,  will 
be  very  blamable  in  his  eyes,  if  I  do  not  give  Him  in 
Thee  the  veneration  which  is  due  to  Him  as  God,  and 
to  Thee  as  his  Mother;  for  it  is  just  that  I  serve  Both, 
as  a  slave  serves  his  masters."  To  this  the  most  holy 
Mary  answered :  "My  dear  sister,  this  reverence  which 
thou  owest  and  desirest  to  give,  is  due  to  the  Lord, 
whom  I  bear  within  my  womb,  for  He  is  the  true  and 
highest  Good  and  our  Redeemer.  But  as  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  who  am  a  mere  creature  and  among  creatures 
only  a  poor  worm,  look  upon  me  as  I  am  in  myself,  al- 
though thou  shouldst  adore  the  Creator,  who  chose  my 


THE   INCARNATION  191 

poor  self  as  his  dwelling.  By  his  divine  enlightenment 
thou  shalt  give  unto  God,  what  is  due  to  Him,  and  allow 
me  to  perform  that  which  pertains  to  me,  namely  to 
serve  and  to  be  below  all.  This  I  ask  of  Thee  for  my 
consolation  and  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  whom  I  bear 
within  me." 

236.  In  such  blessed  and  happy  contentions  most  holy 
Mary  and  her  cousin  Elisabeth  passed  some  of  their 
time.  But  the  divine  prudence  of  our  Queen  caused  in 
Her  such  an  alertness  and  ingenuity  in  matters  concern- 
ing humility  and  obedience,  that  She  never  failed  to  find 
means  and  ways  of  obeying  and  of  being  commanded. 
However,  during  all  the  time  in  which  She  stayed  with 
saint  Elisabeth,  all  this  was  done  in  such  a  way  that 
both  according  to  their  condition  treated  with  the  high- 
est respect  the  sacrament  of  the  King  which  had  been 
entrusted  to  their  knowledge,  and  which  was  deposited 
in  the  most  holy  Mary.  This  high  respect  in  Mary  was 
such  as  befitted  the  Mother  and  the  Mistress  of  all  vir- 
tue and  grace,  and  in  Elisabeth,  such  as  was  worthy  of 
the  prudent  matron,  so  highly  enlightened  by  the  holy 
Spirit.  By  this  light  she  wisely  directed  her  behavior 
in  regard  to  the  Mother  of  God,  yielding  to  her  wishes 
and  obeying  Her  in  whatever  she  could,  and  at  the  same 
time  reverencing  her  dignity,  and  in  it,  her  Creator.  In 
her  inmost  heart  she  made  the  intention  that  if  she 
were  obliged  to  give  any  command  to  the  Mother  of 
God,  she  would  do  it  only  in  order  to  obey  and  satisfy 
her  wishes;  and  whenever  she  did  it,  she  asked  permis- 
sion and  pardon  of  the  Lord,  at  the  same  time  never 
ordering  anything  by  direct  command,  but  always  by 
request ;  and  she  would  use  greater  earnestness  only  in 
such  things  as  were  conducive  to  Mary's  convenience,  as 
for  instance,  that  She  take  some  sleep  or  nourishment. 


192  CITY   OF   GOD 

She  also  asked  Mary  to  make  a  few  articles  for  her  with 
her  own  hands;  Mary  complied,  but  saint  Elisabeth 
never  made  use  of  them,  except  to  preserve  them  with 
the  greatest  veneration. 

237.  In  this  way  most  holy  Mary  put  into  practice 
the  doctrine  of  the  eternal  Word  who  humiliated  Him- 
self so  far,  that,  being  the  form  of  the  eternal  Father, 
the  figure  of  his  substance,  true  God  of  the  true  God,  He 
nevertheless  assumed  the  form  and  condition  of  a  ser- 
vant (Heb.  1,  3,  Philip  2,  6,  7).  This  Lady  was  the 
Mother  of  God,  Queen  of  all  creation,  superior  in  ex- 
cellence and  dignity  to  all  creatures,  and  yet  She  re- 
mained the  humble  servant  of  the  least  of  them;  and 
never  would  She  accept  homage  and  service  as  if  due  to 
Her,  nor  did  She  ever  exalt  Herself,  or  fail  to  judge  of 
Herself  in  the  most  humble  manner.  What  shall  we 
now  say  of  our  most  execrable  presumption  and  pride? 
Since,  full  of  the  abomination  of  sin,  we  are  so  sense- 
less as  to  claim  for  ourselves  with  dreadful  insanity 
the  homage  and  veneration  of  all  the  world?  And  if 
this  is  denied  us,  we  quickly  lose  the  little  sense  which 
our  passions  have  left  us.  This  whole  heavenly  history 
bears  the  stamp  of  humility,  and  is  a  condemnation  of 
our  pride.  And  since  it  is  not  my  office  to  teach  or  cor- 
rect, but  to  be  taught  and  to  be  corrected,  I  beseech  and 
pray  all  the  faithful  children  of  light  to  place  this  ex- 
ample before  their  eyes  for  our  humiliation, 

238.  It  would  not  have  been  difficult  for  the  Lord  to 
preserve  his  most  holy  Mother  from  such  extreme  low- 
liness and  from  the  occasions  in  which  She  embraced  it; 
He  could  have  exalted  Her  before  creatures,  ordaining 
that  She  be  renowned,  honored  and  respected  by  all; 
just  as  He  knew  how  to  procure  homage  and  renown 
for  others  as  Assuerus  did  for  Mardocheus.     Perhaps, 


THE   INCARNATION  193 

if  this  had  been  left  to  the  judgment  of  men,  they  would 
have  so  managed  that  a  Woman  more  holy  than  all  the 
hierarchies  of  heaven,  and  who  bore  in  her  womb  the 
Creator  of  the  angels  and  of  the  heavens,  should  be  sur- 
rounded by  a  continual  guard  of  honor,  withdrawn 
from  the  gaze  of  men  and  receiving  the  homage  of  all 
the  world;  it  would  have  seemed  to  them  unworthy  of 
Her  to  engage  in  humble  and  servile  occupations,  or 
not  to  have  all  things  done  only  at  her  command,  or  to 
refuse  homage,  or  not  to  exercise  fullest  authority.  So 
narrow  is  human  wisdom,  if  that  can  be  called  wisdom, 
which  is  so  limited.  But  such  fallacy  cannot  creep  into 
the  true  science  of  the  saints,  which  is  communicated  to 
them  by  the  infinite  wisdom  of  the  Creator,  and  which 
esteems  at  their  just  weight  and  price  these  honors  with- 
out confounding  the  values  of  the  creatures.  The  Most 
High  would  have  denied  his  beloved  Mother  much  and 
benefited  Her  little,  if  He  had  deprived  and  withdrawn 
from  Her  the  occasion  of  exercising  the  profoundest 
humility  and  had  instead  exposed  Her  to  the  exterior 
applause  of  men.  It  would  also  be  a  great  loss  to  the 
world  to  be  without  this  school  of  humility  and  this  ex- 
ample for  the  humiliation  and  confusion  of  its  pride. 

239.  From  the  time  of  her  receiving  the  Lord  as  her 
Guest  in  her  house,  though  yet  in  the  womb  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mother,  the  holy  Elisabeth  was  much  favored  by 
God.  By  the  continued  conversation  and  the  familiar 
intercourse  with  the  heavenly  Queen  in  proportion  as 
she  grew  in  the  knowledge  and  understanding  of  the 
mysteries  of  the  Incarnation,  this  great  matron  advanced 
in  all  manner  of  sanctity,  as  one  who  draws  it  from  its 
very  fountain.  A  few  times  She  merited  to  see  most 
holy  Mary  during  her  prayers,  ravished  and  raised  from 
the  ground  and  altogether  filled  with  divine  splendor  and 


194  CITY   OF   GOD 

beauty,  so  that  she  could  not  have  looked  upon  her  face, 
nor  remain  alive  in  her  presence,  if  she  had  not  been 
strengthened  by  divine  power.  On  these  occasions,  and 
at  others  whenever  she  could  be  witness  of  them  without 
attracting  the  attention  of  most  holy  Mary,  she  pros- 
trated herself  and  knelt  in  her  presence,  and  adored  the 
incarnate  Word  in  the  virginal  temple  of  the  most  holy 
Mother.  All  the  mysteries  which  became  known  to  her 
by  the  divine  light  and  by  the  intercourse  with  the  great 
Queen,  saint  Elisabeth  sealed  up  in  her  bosom,  being  a 
most  faithful  depositary  and  prudent  secretary  of  that 
which  was  confided  to  her.  Only  with  her  son  John 
and  with  Zacharias,  during  the  short  time  in  which  he 
lived  after  the  birth  of  his  son,  saint  Elisabeth  con- 
versed to  some  extent  concerning  those  sacraments 
which  had  become  known  to  all.  But  in  all  this  she  acted 
as  a  courageous,  wise  and  very  holy  woman. 

INSTRUCTION     WHICH     THE     QUEEN     MOST     HOLY     MARY 

GAVE   ME. 

240.  My  daughter,  the  favors  of  the  Most  High  and 
the  knowledge  of  his  divine  mysteries,  in  the  attentive 
souls,  engender  a  kind  of  love  and  esteem  of  humility, 
which  raises  them  up  with  a  strong  and  sweet  force,  like 
that  which  causes  fire  to  ascend,  like  the  gravity  which 
causes  a  stone  to  fall,  each  of  them  striving  to  reach  its 
own  and  natural  sphere.  This  is  done  by  the  true  light, 
which  places  the  creature  in  the  possession  of  a  clear 
knowledge  of  its  own  self  and  attributes  the  graces  to 
the  proper  source,  whence  all  perfect  things  come  (James 
1,  17)  ;  and  thus  it  brings  all  things  into  correct  bal- 
ance. And  this  is  the  most  proper  order  of  right  reason 
which  overthrows  and  as  it  were  exerts  violence  against 


THE   INCARNATION  195 

the  false  presumption  of  mortals.  On  account  of  this 
presumption  of  pride  the  heart,  wherein  it  lives,  cannot 
strive  after  contempt,  nor  bear  it,  nor  can  it  suffer  a  su- 
perior over  itself,  and  is  offended  even  at  equals;  it 
violently  opposes  all  in  order  to  place  itself  alone  above 
all  fellow  creatures.  But  the  humble  heart  is  abased 
in  proportion  to  the  benefits  it  received,  and  in  its  in- 
terior quietly  grows  a  desire  or  an  ardent  hunger  for 
self-abasement  and  for  the  last  place;  it  is  violently  dis- 
turbed in  not  finding  itself  esteemed  as  the  inferior  of 
all  and  in  being  deprived  of  humiliation. 

241.  In  me,  my  dearest,  thou  wilt  find  exhibited  the 
practical  application  of  this  doctrine;  since  none  of  the 
favors  and  blessings,  which  the  right  hand  of  the  Most 
High  lavished  upon  me,  were  insignificant.  Yet  never 
was  my  heart  inflated  with  presumption  above  itself 
(Ps.  110,  1),  nor  did  it  ever  know  anything  else  than  to 
desire  to  be  abased  and  occupy  the  last  place  among  all 
creatures.  The  imitation  of  this  I  desire  especially  of 
thee;  let  thy  ambition  be  to  take  the  last  place,  to  live 
in  subjection  to  all  others;  abased  and  considered  as 
useless,  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  and  of  men,  thou 
must  judge  thyself  as  less  than  the  dust  of  the  earth 
itself.  Thou  canst  not  deny,  that  in  no  generation  has 
any  one  been  more  favored  than  thou,  and  no  one  has 
merited  these  favors  less  than  thou.  How  then  wilt  thou 
make  any  return  for  this  great  debt  of  gratitude  if  thou 
dost  not  humiliate  thyself  below  all  others  and  more 
than  all  the  sons  of  Adam;  and  if  thou  dost  not  awaken 
within  thyself  exalted  and  loving  sentiments  concerning 
humility?  It  is  good  to  obey  the  prelates  and  instruc- 
tors, therefore  do  it  always.  But  I  desire  that  thou 
go  much  farther,  and  that  thou  obey  the  most  insignifi- 
cant of  thy  fellow  beings  in  all  that  is  not  sinful,  and  in 


196  CITY   OF   GOD 

such  a  way,  as  if  thou  wert  obeying  the  highest  of  thy 
superiors;  and  I  desire  that  in  this  matter  thou  be  very 
earnest,  as  I  was  during  my  earthly  Hfe. 

242.  Thou  must,  however,  be  circumspect  in  regard 
to  the  obedience  to  thy  inferiors,  so  that  they  may  not, 
knowing  of  thy  anxiousness  to  obey  in  all  things,  seek 
to  induce  thee  to  obey  in  things  unseemly  and  unbecom- 
ing. Thou  canst  do  much  good  by  giving  them  the 
good  and  orderly  example  of  obedience,  without  caus- 
ing them  to  lose  any  of  their  subjection  and  without 
derogating  from  thy  authority  as  their  superioress.  If 
any  disagreeable  accident  or  injury  should  happen, 
which  affects  thee  alone,  accept  it  gladly,  without  so 
much  as  moving  thy  lips  in  self-defense,  or  making 
any  complaints.  Whatever  is  an  injury  to  God  do  thou 
reprehend  without  mixing  up  any  of  thy  own  grievances 
with  those  of  his  Majesty;  for  thou  shouldst  never  find 
any  cause  for  self  defense,  but  always  be  ready  to  defend 
the  honor  of  God.  But  neither  in  the  one  nor  the  other, 
allow  thyself  to  be  moved  by  disorderly  anger  and  pas- 
sion. I  wish  also,  that  thou  use  great  prudence  in  hid- 
ing and  concealing  the  favors  of  the  Lord,  for  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  King  is  not  to  be  lightly  manifested  (Tob. 
12,  7),  nor  are  carnal  men  capable  or  worthy  of  the 
mysteries  of  the  Holy  Ghost  (I  Cor.  2,  14).  In  all 
things  imitate  and  follow  me,  since  thou  wishest  to  be 
my  beloved  daughter;  this  thou  wilt  attain  by  obeying 
me  and  thou  wilt  induce  the  Almighty  to  strengthen 
and  direct  thy  footsteps  to  that  which  I  desire  to  ac- 
complish in  thee.  Do  not  resist  Him,  but  dispose  and 
prepare  thy  heart  sweetly  and  quickly  to  obey  his  light 
and  grace.  Let  grace  not  be  void  in  thee  (II  Cor.  6, 
1 ) ,  but  labor  diligently  and  let  thy  actions  be  performed 
in  all  perfection. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

of  SOME  CONVERSATIONS,  WHICH  MOST  HOLY  MARY 
HELD  WITH  HER  ANGELS  IN  THE  HOUSE  OE  SAINT 
ELISABETH,  AND  OE  OTHERS,  WHICH  SHE  HELD  WITH 
HER  COUSIN. 

243.  The  plenitude  of  the  wisdom  and  grace  of  most 
holy  Mary,  being-  of  such  immense  capacity,  could  not 
remain  idle  at  any  point  of  time,  nor  in  any  place  or 
occasion.  For  it  gave  forth  the  plenitude  of  all  perfec- 
tion, active  at  all  times  and  seasons  to  the  fullest  extent  of 
duty  and  possibility,  without  ever  falling  short  of  the 
holiest  and  the  most  excellent  in  virtue.  And  as  in  all 
places  She  acted  the  part  of  a  pilgrim  on  earth  and  of 
an  inhabitant  of  heaven,  and  as  She  herself  was  the  in- 
tellectual and  most  glorious  heaven,  the  living  temple,  in 
which  God  himself  had  made  his  habitation ;  so  She  also 
carried  with  Her  her  own  oratory  and  sanctuary  and  in 
this  respect  there  was  for  Her  no  difference  between  her 
own  house  and  that  of  her  cousin  saint  Elisabeth,  nor 
could  any  other  place,  time  or  occupation  be  a  hindrance 
to  Her  in  this  regard.  She  was  placed  above  all  things 
and  without  any  outside  claim  She  incessantly  devoted 
Herself  to  the  influence  of  the  love,  which  was  contin- 
ually in  her  sight.  Yet  at  the  same  time  She  conversed 
with  the  creatures  at  opportune  times  and  treated  with 
them  according  as  occasion  required,  giving  as  much  at- 
tention to  them,  as  the  most  prudent  Mistress  could  fit- 
tingly spare  for  each  in  particular.  And  as  her  most 
frequent  conversings  during  the  three  months,  in  which 

197 


198  CITY   OF   GOD 

She  remained  in  the  house  of  Zacharias,  were  with  saint 
Elisabeth  and  with  the  holy  angels  of  her  guard,  I  shall 
relate  in  this  chapter  something  of  that  which  formed 
the  subject  of  her  conferences  with  them,  and  also  men- 
tion other  things,  which  happened  in  her  intercourse 
with  the  saint. 

244.  When  She  was  left  alone  and  free  to  Herself 
our  heavenly  Princess  passed  many  hours  ravished  and 
elevated  in  divine  contemplations  and  visions.  Some- 
times during  these  trances,  sometimes  outside  of  them, 
She  was  accustomed  to  converse  with  her  angels  about 
the  sacraments  and  mysteries  of  her  interior  love.  One 
day,  soon  after  She  had  arrived  at  the  house  of  Zacha- 
rias, She  spoke  to  them  in  the  following  manner :  "Heav- 
enly spirits,  my  guardians  and  companions,  ambassadors 
of  the  Most  High  and  luminaries  of  his  Divinity,  come 
and  strengthen  my  heart,  which  is  captured  and  wounded 
by  his  divine  love;  for  it  is  afflicted  with  its  own  limita- 
tions in  that  it  cannot  properly  respond  to  the  obliga- 
tions which  are  known  to  it  and  which  dictate  its  de- 
sires. Come,  ye  supernal  princes,  and  praise  with  me  the 
admirable  name  of  the  Lord  and  let  us  magnify  his  holy 
judgments  and  operations.  Help  this  poor  little  worm 
to  praise  its  Maker,  who  condescends  kindly  to  look 
upon  its  insignificance.  Let  us  talk  of  the  wonders  of 
my  Spouse;  let  us  discuss  the  beauty  of  my  Lord,  of 
my  beloved  Son!  let  my  heart  find  relief  in  uniting  its 
inmost  aspirations  to  your  own,  my  friends  and  com- 
panions; for  you  do  know  the  secrets  of  my  Treasure, 
which  the  Lord  has  deposited  within  me  in  the  narrow- 
ness of  so  fragile  and  constrained  a  vase.  Great  are 
these  sacraments  and  admirable  these  mysteries;  and  I 
contemplate  them  with  sweet  affection,  but  their  su- 
pernal greatness  overwhelms  me,  the  profundity  and  the 


THE   INCARNATION  199 

greatness  of  my  love  overpowers  me  even  while  they 
inflame  my  heart.  In  the  ardor  of  my  soul  I  cannot  rest 
satisfied  and  I  find  no  repose ;  for  my  desires  surpass  all 
that  I  can  accomplish  and  my  obligations  are  greater 
than  my  desires;  I  am  dissatisfied  with  myself,  because 
I  do  not  exert  myself  as  much  as  I  desire,  because  I  do 
not  desire  to  accomplish  as  much  as  I  should,  and  be- 
cause I  find  myself  continually  falling  short  and  van- 
quished by  the  greatness  of  the  returns  which  are  due. 
Ye  heavenly  seraphim,  listen  to  my  loving  anxieties;  I 
am  fallen  sick  with  love  (Cant.  2,  5).  Open  to  me 
your  bosoms,  whence  the  beauty  of  my  God  is  flashed 
forth,  in  order  that  the  splendors  of  his  light  and  the 
visions  of  his  loveliness  may  replenish  the  life,  which 
wastes  away  in  his  love." 

245.  "Mother  of  our  Creator  and  our  Mistress,"  an- 
swered the  holy  angels,  "Thou  possessest  truly  the  Al- 
mighty and  our  highest  Good.  Since  Thou  hast  Him  so 
closely  bound  to  Thee  and  art  his  true  Spouse  and 
Mother,  rejoice  in  Him  and  keep  Him  with  Thee  for 
all  eternity.  Thou  art  the  Spouse  and  the  Mother  of 
the  God  of  love,  and  as  in  Thee  is  the  only  cause  and 
fountain  of  life,  no  one  shall  live  with  Him  as  Thou, 
our  Queen  and  Mistress.  But  do  not  seek  to  find  re- 
pose in  a  love  so  inflamed;  for  thy  state  and  condition 
of  a  pilgrim  do  not  permit  thy  love  to  attain  the  repose 
of  perfect  consummation,  nor  will  it  cease  to  aspire  to 
new  and  greater  increase  of  merit  and  triumph.  Thy 
obligations  surpass  without  comparison  those  of  all  the 
nations;  but  they  are  to  increase  and  grow  continually; 
never  will  thy  so  vastly  inflamed  love  equal  its  Object, 
since  It  is  eternal  and  infinite  and  without  measure  in 
its  perfection;  Thou  shalt  always  be  happily  vanquished 
by  its  greatness ;  for  no  one  can  comprehend  It ;  only  He 


200  CITY    OF    GOD 

himself  comprehends  Himself  and  loves  Himself  in  the 
measure,  in  which  He  deserves  to  be  loved.  Eternally, 
O  Lady,  shalt  Thou  find  in  Him  more  to  desire  and 
more  to  love,  since  that  is  required  by  the  essence  of  his 
greatness  and  of  our  beatitude." 

246.  In  these  colloquies  and  conferences  the  fire  of  di- 
vine love  was  more  and  more  enkindled  in  the  heart  of 
most  holy  Mary;  in  Her  was  exactly  fulfilled  the  com- 
mand of  the  Lord  (Levit.  6,  12),  that  in  his  tabernacle 
and  on  his  altar  should  burn  continually  the  fire  of  the 
holocaust  and  that  the  priest  of  the  ancient  law  should 
see  to  its  perpetual  nourishment  and  maintenance.  This 
precept  was  executed  to  the  letter  in  the  most  holy  Mary, 
for  in  Her  were  jointly  contained  the  altar  and  the  new 
Highpriest,  Christ  our  Lord,  who  nourished  and  aug- 
mented its  flame  day  by  day,  by  administering  new  ma- 
terial in  favors,  blessings,  graces  and  communications 
of  his  Divinity;  while  the  exalted  Lady  on  her  part, 
contributed  her  ceaseless  exertions,  which  were  ineffably 
enhanced  in  value  by  the  continual  flow  of  the  graces 
and  sanctity  of  the  Lord,  From  the  moment  in  which 
this  Lady  entered  into  the  world,  this  conflagration  of 
his  divine  love  took  its  rise,  in  order  never  to  be  extin- 
guished on  this  altar  through  all  the  eternities  of  God 
himself.  For  as  lasting  as  this  eternity  and  as  contin- 
uous was  and  will  be  the  fire  of  this  living  sanctuary. 

247.  At  other  times  She  spoke  and  conversed  with  the 
holy  angels,  when  they  appeared  to  Her  in  human  forms, 
as  I  have  said  in  several  places.  Most  frequently  this  con- 
versation turned  about  the  mystery  of  the  incarnate 
Word ;  and  in  this  She  manifested  so  profound  a  knowl- 
edge in  citing  the  holy  Scriptures  and  the  Prophets 
that  She  caused  wonder  even  in  the  angels.  On  one  oc- 
casion  in   speaking  to  them  of  these   venerable   sacra- 


THE   INCARNATION  201 

ments,  She  said :  "My  lords,  servants  of  the  Most  High 
and  his  friends,  my  heart  is  pierced  and  torn  by  arrows 
of  grief,  when  I  meditate  on  what  the  sacred  Scriptures 
say  of  my  most  holy  Son  or  what  Isaias  and  Jeremias 
wrote  (Gen.  22,  2;  Isai.  33,  2;  Jerem.  11,  18)  concern- 
ing the  most  bitter  pains  and  torments  in  store  for  Him. 
Solomon  says  (Wis.  2,  20),  that  they  shall  condemn 
Him  to  a  most  ignominous  death  and  the  Prophets  al- 
ways speak  in  weighty  and  superlative  terms  of  his  Pas- 
sion and  Death,  which  all  are  to  be  fulfilled  in  Him.  O 
were  it  the  will  of  his  Majesty  that  I  live  at  that  time  in 
order  to  offer  myself  to  die  instead  of  the  Author  of  my 
life !  My  soul  is  sorely  afflicted  in  the  consideration  of 
these  infallible  truths  and  that  my  God  and  my  Lord 
should  come  forth  from  my  womb  only  in  order  to  suf- 
fer. O  who  will  guard  Him  and  defend  Him  against 
his  enemies!  O  tell  me,  ye  heavenly  princes,  by  what 
services  or  by  what  means  can  I  induce  the  eternal  Fa- 
ther to  divert  the  rigor  of  his  justice  upon  me,  in  order 
that  the  Innocent,  who  cannot  have  any  guilt  upon  Him, 
may  be  freed  from  punishment?  Well  do  I  know  that 
in  order  to  satisfy  the  infinite  God  for  the  offenses  of 
men,  the  satisfaction  of  the  incarnate  God  is  required; 
but  by  his  first  act  my  most  holy  Son  has  merited  more 
than  all  the  human  race  can  lose  or  demerit  by  its  of- 
fenses. Since  this  is  sufficient,  tell  me,  is  it  not  possible 
that  I  die  in  order  to  relieve  Him  from  his  death  and 
torments?  My  humble  desires  will  not  be  annoying  to 
my  God,  and  my  anxieties  will  not  be  displeasing  to 
Him.  Yet,  what  am  I  saying?  and  to  what  lengths  do 
sorrow  and  love  drive  me,  since  I  must  be  subject  in 
all  things  to  the  divine  will  and  its  perfect  fulfillment?" 
248.  Such  and  like  colloquy  the  most  holy  Mary  held 
with  her  angels,  especially  during  the  time  of  her  preg- 


202  CITY   OF   GOD 

nancy.  The  holy  spirits  met  all  her  anxieties  and  com- 
forted her  with  great  reverence,  consoling  Her  by  re- 
newing the  memory  of  the  very  sacraments,  which  She 
already  knew  and  by  reminding  Her  of  the  reasonable- 
ness and  propriety  of  the  death  of  Christ  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  human  race,  for  the  conquest  of  the  demons 
and  spoliation  of  their  power,  for  the  glory  of  the 
eternal  Father  and  the  exaltation  of  the  most  holy  and 
highest  Lord  his  Son  (Tim.  2,  14).  So  great  and  ex- 
alted were  the  mysteries  touched  upon  in  these  dis- 
courses of  the  Queen  with  the  holy  angels,  that  neither 
can  the  human  tongue  describe,  nor  our  capacity  compre- 
hend them  in  this  life.  When  we  shall  enjoy  the  Lord 
we  shall  see  what  we  cannot  at  present  conceive.  From 
this  little  which  I  have  said,  our  piety  can  help  us  to 
draw  conclusions  in  regard  to  others  much  greater. 

249,  Saint  Elisabeth  was  likewise  much  versed  and 
enlightened  in  the  divine  Scriptures,  and  much  more  so 
since  the  Visitation;  and  therefore  our  Queen  conversed 
with  Her  concerning  these  heavenly  mysteries,  which 
were  known  and  understood  by  the  matron,  instructing 
and  enlightening  her  by  heavenly  teachings ;  for  through 
her  intercession  Elisabeth  was  enriched  with  many  bless- 
ings and  gifts  of  heaven.  Many  times  she  wondered 
at  the  profound  wisdom  of  the  Mother  of  God,  and 
blessed  Her  over  and  over  again,  saying:  "Blessed  art 
Thou,  my  Mistress  and  Mother  of  my  Lord,  among  all 
womankind  (Luke  1,  42)  ;  and  may  the  nations  know 
and  magnify  thy  dignity.  Most  fortunate  art  Thou  on 
account  of  the  rich  Treasure,  which  Thou  bearest  in 
thy  virginal  womb.  I  tender  to  Thee  my  humble  and 
most  affectionate  congratulations  for  the  joy  with  which 
thy  spirit  shall  be  filled,  when  Thou  shalt  hold  in  thy 
arms  the  Son  of  justice  and  nurse  Him  at  thy  virginal 


THE   INCARNATION  203 

breasts.  Remember  me  thy  servant,  O  Lady,  in  that 
hour  and  offer  my  heart  in  sacrifice  to  thy  most  holy 
Son,  my  true  and  incarnate  God.  O  who  shall  merit  to 
serve  Thee  from  now  on  and  attend  upon  Thee!  But  if 
I  am  unworthy  of  this  good  fortune,  may  I  enjoy  that 
of  being-  borne  in  thy  heart;  for  I  fear  (not  without 
cause)  that  mine  will  be  torn  asunder,  when  I  must  part 
from  Thee."  Many  other  sentiments  of  sweetest  and 
most  tender  love  saint  Elisabeth  uttered  in  her  personal 
intercourse  with  the  most  holy  Mary ;  and  the  most  pru- 
dent Lady  consoled  her,  strengthened  and  enlivened  her 
by  her  divinely  efficacious  reasonings.  These  so  exalted 
and  heavenly  dealings  of  Mary  were  diversified  by  many 
other  acts  of  humility  and  self-abasement  in  serving  not 
only  her  cousin  Elisabeth,  but  also  the  servants  of  her 
house.  Whenever  She  could  find  an  occasion.  She 
swept  the  house  of  her  relative,  and  always  her  oratory 
at  regular  times;  and  with  the  servants  She  washed  the 
dishes,  and  performed  other  acts  of  profound  humility. 
Let  no  one  think  it  strange  that  I  particularize  in  these 
small  matters ;  for  the  greatness  of  our  Queen  has  made 
them  of  importance  for  our  instruction  and  in  order  that 
knowing  of  them,  our  pride  may  vanish  and  our  vile- 
ness  may  come  to  shame.  When  saint  Elisabeth  learnt 
of  the  humble  services,  performed  by  the  Mother  of 
piety,  She  was  deeply  moved  and  tried  to  prevent  them; 
and  therefore  the  heavenly  Lady  concealed  them  from 
her  cousin  wherever  it  was  possible. 

250.  O  Queen  and  Mistress  of  heaven  and  earth,  my 
Protectress  and  Advocate,  although  Thou  art  the 
Teacher  of  all  sanctity  and  perfection,  lost  in  astonish- 
ment at  thy  humility,  I  dare,  O  my  Mother,  to  ask  Thee : 
how  was  it  possible  that,  knowing  of  the  Onlybegotten 
of  the  Father  within  thy  virginal  womb,  and  wishing  in 


204  CITY   OF   GOD 

all  things  to  conduct  Thyself  as  his  Mother,  thy  great- 
ness should  abase  itself  to  such  lowliness,  as  sweeping 
the  floor  and  similar  occupations ;  since,  according  to  our 
notions.  Thou  couldst,  on  account  of  the  reverence  due 
CO  thy  most  holy  Son,  easily  have  excused  Thyself  with- 
out failing  against  the  duties  of  thy  most  perfect  Moth- 
erhood, My  desire  is,  O  Lady,  to  understand  how  thy 
Majesty  was  governed  in  this  matter. 

ANSWER  AND   INSTRUCTION   OF  THE  QUEEN   OE   HEAVEN. 

251.  My  daughter,  in  order  to  solve  thy  difficulty 
more  explicitly  than  as  already  noted  down  in  the  fore- 
going chapter,  thou  must  remember  that  no  occupation 
or  exterior  act  pertaining  to  virtue,  no  matter  how  lowly 
it  may  be,  can,  if  it  is  well-ordered,  impede  the  worship, 
reverence  and  exaltation  of  the  Creator  of  all  things ;  for 
these  acts  of  virtue  do  not  exclude  one  another ;  but  they 
are  all  compatible  with  one  another  in  the  creature,  and 
much  more  in  me,  who  lived  in  the  continual  presence  of 
the  highest  Good  without  ever  losing  It  out  of  sight  by 
exterior  activity.  I  adored  and  remembered  God  in  all 
my  actions,  referring  them  all  to  his  greater  glory;  and 
the  Lord  himself,  who  orders  and  creates  all  things,  de- 
spises none  of  them,  nor  is  He  offended,  or  irritated  by 
their  smallness.  The  soul  that  loves  Him,  is  not  dis- 
concerted by  any  of  these  little  things  in  his  divine  pres- 
ence; for  it  seeks  and  finds  Him  as  the  beginning  and 
the  end  of  all  creatures.  And  because  terrestrial  crea- 
tures cannot  exist  without  these  humble  performances 
and  without  others  that  are  inseparable  from  our  lowly 
condition  and  the  preservation  of  our  nature,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  understand  this  doctrine  well,  in  order  that  we 
may  be  governed  by  it.     For  if  we  engage  in  these 


THE   INCARNATION  205 

thoughts  and  occupations  without  reference  to  their  Cre- 
ator, they  will  cause  many  and  great  interruptions  in  the 
practice  of  virtue  and  in  our  merits,  as  well  as  in  the 
right  use  of  interior  advantages.  Our  whole  life  will  be 
blameworthy  and  full  of  reprehensible  defects,  little  re- 
moved from  the  earthliness  of  creatures. 

252.  According  to  this  doctrine  thou  must  so  regu- 
late thy  terrestrial  occupations,  whatever  they  may  be, 
that  thou  do  not  lose  thy  time,  which  can  never  be  re- 
covered. Whether  thou  eat,  labor,  rest,  sleep,  or  watch, 
in  all  times  and  places,  and  in  all  occupations,  adore, 
reverence  and  look  upon  thy  great  and  powerful  Lord, 
who  fills  all  things  and  conserves  all  things  (I  Cor.  10, 
3;  Matth.  11,  29).  I  wish  also  that  thou  pay  special 
attention  to  that  which  moved  and  incited  me  most  to 
perform  all  acts  of  humility;  namely,  the  thought  that 
my  divine  Son  came  in  the  guise  of  humility  in  order 
to  teach  the  world  this  virtue  in  word  and  example,  to 
inculcate  the  hate  of  vanity  and  pride  and  rooting  out 
its  seed  sown  by  Lucifer  among  mortals  in  the  first  sin. 
His  Majesty  gave  me  such  a  deep  knowledge  of  how 
much  He  is  pleased  with  this  virtue,  that  in  order  to  be 
allowed  to  perform  only  one  of  the  acts  mentioned  by 
thee,  such  as  sweeping  the  floor  or  kissing  the  feet  of 
the  poor,  I  would  have  been  ready  to  suffer  the  greatest 
torments  of  the  world.  Thou  wilt  never  find  words  to 
express  the  love  for  humility  which  I  had,  nor  to  de- 
scribe its  excellence  and  nobility.  In  the  Lord  thou 
wilt  know  and  understand  what  thou  canst  not  describe 
in  words. 

253.  But  write  this  doctrine  in  thy  heart  and  observe 
it  as  the  rule  of  thy  life;  continue  to  exercise  thyself  in 
the  contempt  of  all  things  belonging  to  human  vanity, 
and  esteem  them  as  odious  and  execrable  in  the  eyes  of 

2-15 


206  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  Most  High.  But  in  connection  with  this  humiHty  of 
thy  Hfe,  let  thy  thoughts  always  be  of  the  noblest  and 
thy  conversation  in  heaven  and  with  the  angelic  spirits 
(Philip  3,  20) ;  deal  with  them  and  converse  with  them 
in  order  to  obtain  new  light  concerning  the  Divinity  and 
the  mysteries  of  Christ  my  most  holy  Son.  With  crea- 
tures let  thy  intercourse  be  such  as  will  continually  in- 
crease thy  fervor  and  serve  thee  as  means  of  advancing 
and  profiting  by  means  of  humility  and  divine  love.  In 
thy  own  mind  assume  the  lowest  place  beneath  all  crea- 
tures, so  that  when  the  occasion  and  the  time  of  exer- 
cising the  acts  of  humility  arrive,  thou  mayest  be  found 
prompt  and  willing  to  exercise  them.  Only  then  wilt 
thou  be  the  mistress  of  the  passions,  if  first  thou  hast 
acknowledged  thyself  in  thy  heart  as  the  least  and  weak- 
est and  most  useless  of  all  the  creatures. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

SOME  SPECIAL  FAVORS  WHICH  MOST  HOLY  MARY  CON- 
FERRED UPON  SEVERAL  PERSONS  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF 
Z  AC  H  ARIAS. 

254.  It  is  a  well  known  quality  of  love  to  be  active  as 
the  fire  in  works  of  kindness,  wherever  it  finds  occasion ; 
and  this  is  especially  true  of  the  fire  of  spiritual  love; 
for  it  will  reach  out  in  search  of  material,  as  soon  as  this 
falls  short.  The  Master  has  taught  lovers  of  God  so 
many  ways  and  methods  of  pursuing  virtue,  that  there 
is  no  need  of  remaining  idle.  And  as  love  is  not  blind 
nor  insane,  it  knows  well  the  qualities  of  the  noble  ob- 
ject it  aims  at.  Its  only  concern  is  that  not  all  men  love 
it  properly;  and  thus  it  seeks  to  communicate  this  love 
without  strife  or  envy.  We  know  that  the  love  of  all 
the  other  saints,  though  most  fervent  and  holy,  appears 
limited  in  comparison  with  that  of  most  holy  Mary. 
Yet  if  their  love  is  admirable  and  powerful,  inciting  them 
to  vast  works  of  zeal  for  souls,  what  immense  works 
then  must  not  the  love  this  great  Queen  have  accom- 
plished for  the  benefit  of  her  fellowmen,  since  She  was 
the  Mother  of  the  divine  love  (Eccli.  24,  24),  and  since 
She  carried  with  her  the  true  and  living  fire  that  was  to 
enkindle  the  world  ?  ( Luke  12,  49) .  Let  all  the  mortals 
learn  from  this  heavenly  history  how  much  they  owe  to 
the  love  of  this  Lady,  Although  it  will  be  impossible  to 
notice  all  the  particular  instances  of  the  benefits  con- 
ferred on  the  souls  by  Her,  nevertheless,  in  order  that 
from  some  of  them,  many  more  may  be  inferred,  I  will 

207 


208  CITY   OF   GOD 

relate  a  few  that  our  Queen  conferred  while  in  the 
house  of  her  cousin  Elisabeth. 

255.  One  of  the  servants  in  that  house  was  of  per- 
verse inclination,  restless,  subject  to  anger,  and  accus- 
tomed to  swear  and  curse.  With  all  these  vices  and  dis- 
orders, she  still  knew  how  to  make  herself  agreeable  to 
her  masters,  but  at  the  same  time  she  was  so  given  over 
to  the  power  of  the  demon  that  this  tyrant  could  easily 
induce  her  to  throw  herself  into  all  sorts  of  miseries 
and  mistakes.  For  fourteen  years  many  devils  sur- 
rounded and  accompanied  her  without  intermission  in 
order  to  make  certain  the  capture  of  her  soul.  Only 
when  this  woman  came  into  the  presence  of  the  Mis- 
tress of  heaven,  most  holy  Mary,  these  enemies  with- 
drew ;  for,  as  I  have  said  in  other  places,  the  virtue  issu- 
ing from  our  Queen  tormented  them,  and  especially  dur- 
ing that  time  when  She  carried  within  her  virginal  re- 
pository the  powerful  God  and  Lord  of  all  virtues.  As 
on  the  one  hand  this  woman  was  freed  from  her  cruel 
exactors,  being  released  from  the  evil  influences  of  their 
company,  and  as  on  the  other  hand  she  experienced 
within  her  the  beneficial  effects  of  the  sweet  vision  and 
intercourse  of  the  Queen,  she  began  to  be  much  at- 
tracted and  moved  toward  Mary  and  she  sought  to  be 
in  her  presence  and  offered  to  serve  Her  with  much  af- 
fection, striving  to  pass  all  the  time  possible  with  Her 
and  watching  Her  with  reverence;  for  among  her 
distorted  inclinations  she  had  also  a  good  one,  which 
was  a  natural  kindness  and  compassion  for  the  needy 
and  the  humble,  so  that  she  was  naturally  drawn  to- 
ward them  and  ready  to  do  them  good. 

256.  The  heavenly  Princess,  who  saw  and  knew  all 
the  inclinations  of  this  woman,  the  state  of  her  con- 
science, the  danger  of  her  soul  and  the  malice  of  the 


THE    INCARNATION  209 

demons  against  her,  turned  upon  her  an  eye  of  mercy 
and  watched  her  with  the  love  of  a  mother.  Although 
her  Majesty  knew  that  the  company  and  the  interference 
of  the  demons  was  a  just  punishment  for  the  sins  of  this 
woman,  yet  She  interceded  for  her  and  obtained  for  her 
pardon,  remedy  and  salvation.  She  commanded  the  de- 
mons, in  virtue  of  the  authority  conceded  to  Her,  to 
leave  this  creature  and  not  dare  to  disturb  her  or  molest 
her  thenceforth.  As  they  could  not  resist  the  sway  of  our 
great  Queen,  they  yielded  and  fled  in  highest  consterna- 
tion, not  knowing  how  to  account  for  such  power  of 
the  most  holy  Mary.  They  conferred  about  it  in  as- 
tonishment and  indignation,  saying:  "Who  is  this 
Woman,  that  exerts  such  dominion  over  us?  Whence 
does  such  strange  power  come,  which  enables  Her  to 
perform  all  that  She  wishes?"  The  demons  therefore 
conceived  new  wrath  and  indignation  against  Her,  who 
had  crushed  their  heads  (Gen.  3,  15).  The  happy 
woman,  however,  was  snatched  from  their  claws.  Mary 
admonished  her,  corrected  her,  and  taught  her  the  way 
of  salvation,  and  changed  her  into  a  woman  of  kind 
and  meek  disposition.  She  persevered  therein  during  all 
her  life,  being  well  aware,  that  all  this  had  come  to 
her  through  the  hands  of  our  Queen;  although  she  did 
not  know  nor  penetrate  into  the  mystery  of  her  dignity, 
she  remained  humbly  thankful  and  lived  a  holy  life. 

257.  Not  in  a  better  state  than  this  servant  was  an- 
other woman  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  house 
of  Zacharias,  who  as  a  neighbor  was  wont  to  come  and 
listen  to  the  conversation  of  the  family  of  saint  Elisa- 
beth. She  lived  a  licentious  life,  far  from  honorable, 
and  when  she  heard  of  the  arrival  of  our  great  Queen 
in  that  town,  of  her  modesty  and  retirement,  she  spoke 
of  Her  lightly  and  with  some  curiosity:  "Who  is  this 


210  CITY   OF   GOD 

Stranger,  that  has  come  as  a  guest  of  our  neighbors, 
and  who  gives  Herself  such  holy  and  recollected  airs?" 
In  the  vain  and  inquisitive  desire  of  spying  out  novelty, 
as  is  customary  with  such  kind  of  people,  she  managed 
to  get  sight  of  the  heavenly  Lady  and  scrutinized  her 
dress  and  her  countenance.  Her  intention  was  imperti- 
nent and  presumptuous;  but  far  different  the  effect:  for 
having  succeeded  in  scrutinizing  most  holy  Mary,  she 
left  with  a  wounded  heart:  the  presence  and  the  sight 
of  the  Queen  transformed  her  into  a  new  woman.  Her 
inclinations  were  altogether  changed,  and  without  know- 
ing by  what  efficacious  influence  the  change  came  about, 
she  felt  its  power  and  began  to  shed  abundant  floods 
of  tears  in  deepfelt  sorrow  for  her  sins.  Merely  on  ac- 
count of  having  fixed  her  attentive  gaze  ,  in  curiosity 
upon  the  Mother  of  virginal  purity,  this  happy  woman 
received  in  return  the  love  of  chastity  and  was  freed 
from  the  sensual  habits  and  inclinations  of  her  former 
life.  In  that  very  hour  she  sorrowfully  retired  to  weep 
over  her  wicked  life.  Whenever  later  on  she  desired 
to  converse  with  the  Mother  of  grace,  her  Highness, 
in  order  to  confirm  her,  permitted  it.  For  as  Mary  knew 
what  had  happened  and  as  She  bore  within  Her  the 
origin  of  grace,  the  Sanctifier  and  Justifier  by  whose 
power  She  fulfilled  her  office  of  Advocate  of  sinners 
She  received  her  with  maternal  kindness,  admonished 
and  instructed  her  in  virtue,  dismissing  her  strengthened 
and  confirmed  for  perseverence  in  her  new  life. 

258.  In  this  manner  our  great  Lady  performed  many 
works  and  caused  many  admirable  conversions  in  a  great 
number  of  souls;  although  it  was  done  in  silence  and 
hidden  to  all.  The  whole  family  of  saint  Elisabeth  and 
Zacharias  were  sanctified  by  her  intercourse  and  conver- 


THE   INCARNATION  211 

sation.  Those  who  were  just,  experienced  new  increase 
of  gifts  and  favors;  those  that  were  not,  She  justified 
and  enlightened  by  her  intercession;  all  of  them  were 
captured  by  reverential  love  of  Her  so  completely,  that 
each  one  strove  to  obey  Her  and  acknowledge  Her  as 
mother,  as  protectress  and  as  a  consolation  in  all  their 
necessities.  The  mere  privilege  of  seeing  Her,  without 
any  words,  was  sufficient  to  produce  all  these  effects; 
yet  She  was  careful  not  to  omit  whatever  seemed  neces- 
sary to  obtain  this  end.  As  She  penetrated  the  secrets 
of  all  hearts  and  knew  the  state  of  each  one's  conscience, 
She  knew  how  to  apply  the  opportune  medicine.  Some- 
times, not  always,  the  Lord  manifested  to  Her  the  final 
end  of  those  She  met :  informing  Her,  which  were 
chosen  and  which  were  reprobate,  predestined  for  hap- 
piness or  foreknown  as  damned.  At  sight  of  both  one 
and  the  other  her  heart  broke  forth  in  admirable  flashes 
of  most  perfect  virtue:  for  when  She  knew  of  any  that 
were  just  and  predestined.  She  bestowed  upon  them 
many  blessings,  which  She  also  does  now  in  heaven, 
and  the  Lord  looked  with  favor  upon  her  beneficence. 
Exerting  incredible  and  prayerful  diligence  She  asked 
Him  to  preserve  them  in  his  grace  and  friendship.  When- 
ever She  saw  any  one  in  sin.  She  asked  from  the  bot- 
tom of  her  heart  for  his  justification  and  ordinarily 
She  also  obtained  it.  But  if  it  happened  to  be  one  of 
the  reprobate,  She  wept  bitterly  and  humiliated  Herself 
in  the  presence  of  the  Most  High  for  the  loss  of  that 
image  and  work  of  the  Divinity ;  She  redoubled  her  heart- 
felt prayers,  oft'erings  and  humiliations  in  order  that  no 
others  might  damn  themselves,  and  her  whole  being  was 
one  flame  of  divine  love,  which  never  rested  nor  re- 
posed in  accomplishing  great  things. 


212  CITY    OF    GOD 

INSTRUCTION    WHICH    THE    HEAVENLY    QUEEN    AND 
I^DY  GAVE  ME. 

259.  My  dearest  daughter,  within  two  limits,  as  if 
within  two  extremes,  all  the  harmony  of  thy  powers  and 
wishes  must  move.  They  are:  to  preserve  thyself  in  the 
grace  and  friendship  of  God,  and  to  seek  the  same  good 
fortune  for  others.  In  this  let  all  thy  life  and  activity  be 
consumed.  For  such  high  purpose  I  wish  that  thou  spare 
no  labor,  beseeching  the  Lord  and  offering  thyself  in 
sacrifice  unto  death,  accepting  actually  all  that  is  op- 
portune and  possible.  Although,  in  order  to  solicit  the 
good  of  souls,  thou  need  not  make  any  great  ado  before 
creatures,  since  that  is  not  appropriate  to  thy  sex;  yet 
thou  must  seek  and  prudently  apply  all  the  hidden  means, 
that  are  most  efficacious  within  thy  knowledge.  If  thou 
wilt  be  my  daughter  and  a  spouse  of  my  most  holy 
Son,  consider  that  the  possessions  of  our  house  are  the 
rational  creatures,  which  He  acquired  as  a  rich  prize  at 
the  cost  of  his  life  (I  Cor.  6,  20)  and  of  his  blood;  for 
through  their  own  disobedience  they  were  lost  to  Him 
(Gen.  3,  6),  after  He  had  created  and  selected  them 
for  Himself. 

260.  Hence  whenever  the  Lord  sends  to  thee,  or 
throws  in  thy  way,  a  needy  soul  and  makes  thee  aware 
of  its  state,  labor  faithfully  to  assist  it.  Pray  and  weep 
with  heartfelt  and  fervent  love,  that  God  may  furnish 
the  remedy  for  such  great  and  dangerous  evil,  and  do 
not  neglect  any  means,  divine  or  human,  as  far  as  thou 
art  concerned,  in  order  to  obtain  the  salvation  of  eternal 
life  for  the  soul  entrusted  to  thee.  By  means  of  the 
prudence  and  moderation  which  I  have  taught  thee,  thou 
must  not  grow  weary  in  admonishing,  nor  in  praying 
for  that  which  will  benefit  that  soul;  and  in  all  secrecy 


THE   INCARNATION  21J 

continue  thy  labor  in  its  behalf.  Likewise  I  wish,  that 
whenever  it  is  necessary,  thou  command  the  demons  in 
the  powerful  name  of  the  Almighty  and  my  own,  to 
depart  and  leave  in  peace  the  souls  oppressed  by  them; 
and  as  all  this  is  to  be  done  in  secret,  thou  canst  in  all 
propriety  animate  and  encourage  thyself  to  this  kind  of 
work.  Remember  that  the  Lord  has  placed  thee,  and 
will  place  thee  in  a  position  to  exercise  this  doctrine.  Do 
not  forget  it,  nor  fail  in  understanding,  how  much  thou 
art  bounden  to  his  Majesty  to  use  care  and  solicitude  in 
extending  the  possessions  of  thy  Father's  house.  Do  not 
rest  until  thou  accustom  thyself  to  do  this  with  all  dili- 
gence (Phil.  4,  13).  Fear  not,  for  thou  canst  do  all  in 
Him  that  strengthens  thee ;  and  his  power  will  strengthen 
thy  arm  to  do  great  things  (Pro v.  31,  27). 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

SAINT  ELISABETH  ASKS  THE  QUEEN  OE  HEAVEN  TO  AS- 
SIST AT  HER  CONFINEMENT  AND  IS  ENEIGHTENED  CON- 
CERNING THE  BIRTH  OE  JOHN. 

261.  Already  two  months  had  passed  since  the  coming 
of  the  Princess  of  heaven  into  the  house  of  holy  Elisa- 
beth; and  the  discreet  matron  was  even  now  filled  with 
grief  at  the  thought  of  the  departure  and  of  the  absence 
of  the  Mistress  of  the  world.  She  dreaded  the  loss  of 
so  great  a  blessing  as  her  presence  was,  and  with  reason, 
since  she  knew,  that  it  could  not  come  within  the  range 
of  human  merits;  in  her  holy  humility  she  scrutinized 
her  heart,  fearing  lest  any  fault  of  hers  might  be  the 
cause  of  the  setting  of  that  beautiful  moon  and  of  the 
Sun  of  justice  within  the  virginal  Womb.  Sometimes 
She  wept  and  sighed  in  private,  because  she  could  find 
no  means  of  prolonging  their  stay,  which  had  shed  much 
clear  light  of  grace  in  her  soul.  She  asked  the  Lord 
with  many  tears  to  inspire  her  Cousin,  the  most  holy 
Lady  Mary,  not  to  forsake  her ;  at  least,  not  to  withdraw 
so  soon  her  sweet  company.  She  served  Her  with  great 
reverence  and  solicitude  and  studied  to  oblige  Her.  It  is 
no  wonder,  that  so  saintly,  attentive  and  prudent  a  woman 
should  ask  for  that  which  even  the  angels  coveted.  For 
in  addition  to  the  divine  light,  which  she  had  received 
from  the  Holy  Ghost  concerning  the  supreme  dignity 
and  sanctity  of  the  Virgin  Mother,  she  had  the  personal 
experience  of  her  most  sweet  intercourse  and  conversa- 
tion, and  all  this  combined  had  ravished  her  heart,  so  that 

214 


THE   INCARNATION  215 

without  divine  aid,  she  could  not  have  survived  the  part- 
ing, after  once  having  known  and  conversed  with  the 
blessed  Lady. 

262.  In  order  to  find  some  consolation,  saint  Elisa- 
beth resolved  to  open  her  heart  to  the  heavenly  Lady, 
who  was,  however,  not  ignorant  of  her  sorrow;  and  she 
said  to  Her  in  great  submission  and  humility :  "Cousin, 
dear  Lady,  on  account  of  the  respect  and  consideration, 
with  which  I  am  bound  to  serve  Thee,  I  have  not  until 
now  dared  to  speak  of  my  desire  and  of  the  sorrow  in 
my  heart ;  give  me  now  the  permission  to  relieve  it  by 
making  them  known.  The  Lord  has  condescended  in 
his  mercy  to  send  Thee  hither,  in  order  that  I  might  have 
the  unmerited  blessing  of  conversing  with  Thee  and  of 
knowing  the  mysteries,  which  his  divine  Providence  has 
entrusted  to  Thee,  my  Mistress.  Unworthy  I  am  to 
praise  Him  eternally  for  this  favor  (Dan.  3,  53).  Thou 
art  the  living  temple  of  his  glory,  the  ark  of  the  Testa- 
ment, containing  the  Manna,  which  is  the  food  of  the 
angels  (Heb.  9,  4).  Thou  art  the  tablet  of  the  true 
law,  written  in  his  own  Being  (Ps.  77 ,  25).  I  appreciate 
in  my  lowliness  how  rich  his  Majesty  has  made  me,  that 
without  my  merit  I  should  entertain  in  my  own  house 
the  Treasure  of  heaven  and  Her,  whom  He  has  chosen 
as  his  Mother  among  all  women.  I  justly  fear  that  I 
displease  Thee  and  the  Fruit  of  thy  womb  by  my  sins, 
and  that  therefore  thou  wilt  forsake  thy  slave,  with- 
drawing the  great  blessing,  which  I  now  enjoy.  Pos- 
sibly, if  it  be  thy  pleasure,  I  might  have  the  happiness 
of  serving  Thee  and  remaining  with  Thee  all  the  rest 
of  my  life.  If  it  is  a  hardship  for  Thee  to  return  to  thy 
dwelling,  it  will  be  most  convenient  for  Thee  to  stay  in 
my  house.  If  Thou  wilt  call  thy  holy  spouse  Joseph  and 
live  with  him  here  as  my  masters,  I  will  serve  you  with 


216  CITY    OF    GOD 

affectionate  readiness  of  heart.  Althoug-h  I  do  not  merit 
what  I  ask,  I  beseech  Thee  not  to  despise  my  humble 
petition,  since  the  Lord  can  surpass  by  his  mercies  all 
my  merits  and  desires." 

263.  The  most  holy  Mary  heard  with  sweetest  com- 
placency the  petition  of  her  cousin  Elisabeth  and  an- 
swered her :  "Dearest  friend  of  my  soul,  thy  holy  wishes 
are  acceptable  in  the  eyes  of  the  Most  High.  I  also 
thank  thee  from  my  heart;  but  in  all  our  undertakings 
and  resolves  it  is  necessary  that  we  conform  to  the  divine 
will  and  entirely  subject  ourselves  to  it.  Although  this 
is  the  duty  of  all  creatures,  thou  knowest,  that  it  is  my 
duty  before  all  others,  since  by  the  power  of  his  arm  He 
has  raised  me  from  the  dust  and  in  boundless  love  has 
looked  upon  me  (Luke  1,  53).  All  my  words  and  move- 
ments must  be  guided  by  the  divine  will  of  my  Lord  and 
Son  and  I  must  not  desire  anything  except  what  is  ac- 
cording to  his  pleasure.  Let  us  present  to  his  Majesty 
thy  desires,  and  whatever  He  in  his  goodness  shall  or- 
dain, that  let  us  execute.  I  must  also  obey  my  spouse 
Joseph,  for  without  his  order  and  consent,  I  can  neither 
decide  upon  my  occupations,  nor  upon  my  dwelling- 
place  ;  it  is  just,  my  dearest,  that  we  obey  our  superiors." 

264.  Saint  EHsabeth  yielded  to  the  persuasive  words 
of  the  Princess  of  heaven  and  answered  with  humble 
submission :  "My  Lady,  I  am  ready  to  obey  thy  will 
and  revere  thy  teaching.  I  wish  only  once  more  to  com- 
mend to  Thee  my  sincere  affection  and  heartfelt  devo- 
tion to  thy  service.  If  my  wishes  cannot  be  fulfilled  and 
are  contrary  to  the  will  of  God,  I  desire  at  least,  if  pos- 
sible, that  Thou,  my  Queen,  do  not  forsake  me  until  my 
son  shall  come  forth  to  the  light;  in  order  that,  just  as 
within  my  womb  he  has  adored  and  recognized  his  Re- 
deemer in  thy  own,  so  he  may  enjoy  his  divine  presence 


THE   INCARNATION  217 

and  enlightenment  before  any  other  creature;  and  that 
he  may  receive  thy  blessing  for  the  first  advances  in  life 
(Prov.  16,  9)  by  the  presence  of  Him,  who  is  to  direct 
his  footsteps.  And  do  Thou,  the  Mother  of  grace,  pre- 
sent Him  to  the  Creator  and  obtain  from  his  goodness 
the  perseverance  in  that  grace,  which  he  received  at 
the  sound  of  thy  sweetest  voice,  when  it  came  to  my 
unworthy  ears.  Let  me  behold  my  child  in  thy  arms, 
where  the  God,  who  made  and  preserves  heaven  and 
earth,  is  likewise  to  rest  (Is.  42,  5).  Let  not  thy  mater- 
nal kindness  be  strained  or  diminished  by  my  sins ;  deny 
not  this  consolation  to  me,  nor  to  my  son  this  great  hap- 
piness, which  as  a  mother  I  ask  and  unworthily  desire 
for  him." 

265.  Most  holy  Mary  did  not  wish  to  refuse  and  She 
promised  to  pray  the  Lord  for  the  fulfillment  of  this 
request  of  her  cousin,  asking  her  at  the  same  time  to 
unite  her  prayers  with  hers  in  order  to  knoA"-  ^is  most 
holy  will.  Accordingly  the  two  mothers  of  the  two  most 
holy  Sons  born  into  the  world  betook  themselves  to  the 
oratory  of  the  heavenly  Princess  and  presented  their  peti- 
tions to  the  Most  High.  Most  pure  Mary  fell  into  an 
ecstasy,  wherein  She  was  enlightened  anew  concerning 
the  mysterious  life  and  the  dignity  of  the  Precursor  and 
concerning  his  work  in  preparing  the  hearts  of  men  for 
the  reception  of  their  Redeemer  and  Teacher,  and  She 
made  known  to  saint  Elisabeth  these  sacraments  in  as 
far  as  it  was  proper.  She  was  informed  of  the  great 
sanctity  of  her  saintly  cousin,  also,  that  she  had  only 
a  short  while  to  live  and  that  Zacharias  would  die  before 
her.  The  kind  Mother  lovingly  besought  the  Lord  to 
assist  her  at  her  death  and  to  fulfill  her  wishes  in  regard 
to  her  son.  In  regard  to  the  other  fond  desires,  the  most 
prudent  Virgin  made  no  request,  for  in  her  heavenly  wis- 


218  CITY    OF   GOD 

dom  She  immediately  saw,  that  to  Hve  always  in  the 
house  of  her  cousin  was  not  advisable,  nor  according  to 
the  will  of  the  Most  High. 

266.  To  these  petitions  his  Majesty  answered:  "My 
Spouse  and  my  Dove,  it  is  my  pleasure  that  thou  assist 
and  console  my  servant  Elisabeth  at  her  childbirth,  which 
is  to  be  very  soon;  for  there  are  only  eight  days  left 
before  that  event.  After  her  son  shall  be  circumcised, 
thou  shalt  return  to  thy  home  with  thy  spouse  Joseph. 
After  his  birth  thou  shalt  ofifer  to  Me  my  servant  John 
in  pleasing  sacrifice;  and  continue,  my  Beloved,  to  pray 
to  Me  for  the  salvation  of  souls."  Saint  Elisabeth  united 
her  prayers  with  those  of  the  Queen  of  heaven  and  earth, 
beseeching  the  Lord  to  command  his  Mother  and  Spouse 
not  to  forsake  her  during  her  confinement.  During  this 
prayer  the  Lord  revealed  to  her,  that  her  confinement 
was  close  at  hand,  and  informed  her  also  of  many  other 
things  for  her  relief  and  consolation  in  her  anxiety. 

267.  Most  holy  Mary  issued  from  her  trance  and,  hav- 
ing finished  their  prayer,  the  two  mothers  conferred  upon 
the  nearness  of  the  confinement  of  saint  Elisabeth  as  made 
known  to  them  by  the  Lord;  and  anxious  to  make  sure 
of  her  good  fortune,  the  holy  matron  asked  our  Queen : 
"My  Lady,  pray  tell  me,  whether  I  shall  have  the  hap- 
piness of  thy  assistance  at  my  impending  confinement?" 
Her  majesty  answered:  "My  beloved  cousin,  the  Most 
High  has  heard  our  prayers  and  deigned  to  command 
me  to  assist  on  that  occasion.  This  I  will  do,  not  only 
remaining  till  then,  but  also  until  the  circumcision  of  thy 
child,  which  will  take  place  in  fifteen  days."  At  this 
resolve  of  the  most  holy  Mary  the  joy  of  her  cousin 
was  renewed;  she  acknowledged  this  great  favor  in 
humble  thankfulness  to  the  Lord  and  to  the  holy  Queen. 


THE    INCARNATION  219 

Thus  rejoiced  and  enlivened  by  mutual  conferences,  the 
holy  matron  began  to  prepare  for  the  birth  of  her  son 
and  for  the  departure  of  her  exalted  Cousin. 

INSTRUCTION    GIVEN    TO    ME    BY    THE    HEAVENLY    QUEEN 
AND   IvADY    MARY. 

268.  My  daughter,  whenever  our  desires  arise  from 
loving  affection  and  are  accompanied  by  a  good  inten- 
tion, the  Most  High  is  not  offended  at  our  making  them 
known,  as  long  as  it  is  done  with  submission  and  resigna- 
tion to  the  dispositions  of  his  divine  Providence.  When 
the  soul  presents  itself  before  the  Lord  with  such  senti- 
ments, He  looks  upon  it  as  a  Father  and  grants  to  it 
what  is  proper,  withholds  what  is  improper  or  does  not 
conduce  to  its  true  welfare.  The  desire  of  my  cousin 
to  remain  with  me  all  her  life  arose  from  a  pious  and 
praiseworthy  zeal ;  but  it  was  not  in  harmony  with  the 
plans  of  the  Most  High,  by  which  He  had  already  ar- 
ranged the  conduct,  travels  and  events  of  my  life.  Though 
the  Lord  denied  her  this  request  He  was  not  displeased, 
but  granted  her  whatever  would  not  hinder  the  decrees 
of  his  infinite  wisdom  and  whatever  would  benefit  her 
or  her  son  John.  On  account  of  the  love  shown  toward 
me  by  the  mother  and  son,  and  on  account  of  my  inter- 
cession, the  Almighty  enriched  them  with  many  blessings 
and  favors.  For  to  ask  Him  with  upright  intention 
and  through  my  mediation,  is  always  the  most  efficacious 
means  of  moving  his  Majesty. 

269.  I  wish  that  thou  offer  up  all  thy  petitions  and 
prayers  in  the  name  of  my  most  holy  Son  and  my  own ; 
and  be  assured  without  doubt,  that  they  will  be  heard,  if 
they  are  joined  with  the  upright  intention  of  pleasing 
God.    Look  upon  me  with  loving  affection  as  thy  Mother, 


220  CITY   OF   GOD 

thy  refuge  and  thy  help;  trust  thyself  to  my  devoted 
love,  and  remember,  my  dearest,  that  my  desire  for  thy 
greater  good  urges  me  to  teach  thee  the  means  of  ob- 
taining great  blessings  and  favors  of  divine  grace  at 
the  most  liberal  hands  of  God.  Do  not  make  thyself 
unfit  for  them,  nor  hinder  them  by  thy  timidity.  And 
if  thou  wishest  to  induce  me  to  love  thee  as  my  much- 
beloved  daughter,  rouse  thyself  to  a  fulfillment  of  what 
I  tell  thee  and  manifest  to  thee.  Toward  this  direct  thy 
careful  efforts,  resting  satisfied  only  when  thou  hast 
labored  hard  to  put  my  teachings  into  practice. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

The  birth  OF'  The  precursor  OE  CHRIST  AND  WHAT  THE 
LADY  MARY  DID  ON  THIS  OCCASION. 

270.  The  hour  for  the  rising  of  the  morning  star, 
which  was  to  precede  the  clear  Sun  of  justice  and  an- 
nounce the  wished- for  day  of  the  law  of  grace,  had  ar- 
rived (John  5,  35).  The  time  was  suitable  to  the  Most 
High  for  the  appearance  of  his  Prophet  in  the  world; 
and  greater  than  a  prophet  was  John,  who  pointing  out 
with  his  finger  the  Lamb  (John  1,  29),  was  to  prepare 
mankind  for  the  salvation  and  sanctification  of  the  world. 
Before  issuing  from  the  maternal  womb  the  Lord  re- 
vealed to  the  blessed  child  the  hour  in  which  he  was  to 
commence  his  mortal  career  among  men.  The  child  had 
the  perfect  use  of  his  reason,  and  of  the  divine  science 
infused  by  the  presence  of  the  incarnate  Word.  He 
therefore  knew  that  he  was  to  arrive  at  the  port  of 
a  cursed  and  dangerous  land,  and  to  walk  upon  a  world 
full  of  evils  and  snares,  where  many  are  overtaken  by 
ruin  and  perdition. 

27  L  On  this  account  the  g^eat  child  was  as  it  were 
in  a  state  of  suspense  and  doubt:  for  on  the  one  hand, 
nature  having  nourished  his  body  to  that  state  of  perfec- 
tion, which  is  proper  to  birth,  he  recognized  and  felt,  in 
addition  to  the  express  will  of  God,  the  compelling  forces 
of  nature  which  urged  him  to  leave  the  retreat  of  the 
maternal  womb.  On  the  other  hand  he  contemplated 
the  dangerous  risks  of  mortal  life.  Thus  he  hesitated 
between  the  fear  of  danger  and  the  desire  to  obey.  And 
2-16  221 


222  CITY   OF   GOD 

he  debated  within  himself:  "If  I  meet  this  danger  of 
losing  God,  whither  shall  it  lead  me?  How  can  I  safely 
converse  with  men,  of  whom  so  many  are  enveloped  in 
darkness  and  wander  from  the  path  of  life  ?  I  am  in  the 
obscurity  of  my  mother's  womb,  but  I  must  leave  it  for 
a  more  dangerous  darkness.  I  was  imprisoned  here, 
since  I  received  the  light  of  reason;  but  more  must  I 
dread  the  unrestrained  freedom  of  mortals.  But  let  me, 
O  Lord,  fulfill  thy  will  and  enter  the  world;  for  to  exe- 
cute it  is  always  best.  To  know  that  my  life  and  my 
faculties  shall  be  consumed  in  thy  service,  highest  King, 
will  make  it  easier  for  me  to  come  forth  to  the  light  and 
begin  life.  Bestow,  O  Lord,  thy  blessing  for  my  passage 
into  the  world." 

272.  By  this  prayer  the  Precursor  of  Christ  merited 
new  graces  and  blessings  at  his  birth.  The  fortunate 
child  knew  by  the  indwelling  of  God  in  his  mind,  that 
he  was  sent  to  perform  great  things  and  was  assured  of 
the  necessary  help.  Before  describing-  this  most  happy 
birth,  I  will  try  to  explain  the  scriptural  dates  concerning 
it.  It  must  be  remembered,  that  the  miraculous  preg- 
nancy of  saint  Elisabeth  lasted  nine  days  less  than  nine 
months.  For  on  account  of  the  fecundity  miraculously 
restored  to  a  barren  woman,  the  fruit  cpnceived  matured 
for  parturition  in  this  shorter  time.  When  the  angel 
Gabriel  announced  to  most  holy  Mary,  that  her  cousin 
was  in  the  sixth  month  of  her  pregnancy,  it  must  be  un- 
derstood to  mean,  that  eight  or  nine  days  were  still 
wanting  for  the  completion  of  the  sixth  month.  I  have 
also  said  in  chapter  sixteen  that  the  heavenly  Lady  de- 
parted on  the  fourth  day  after  the  incarnation  of  the 
Word  for  her  visit  to  saint  Elisabeth.  Saint  Luke  does 
not  say,  that  most  holy  Mary  departed  immediately,  but 
"in  those  days,"  and  though  She  went  "in  haste,"  yet 


THE   INCARNATION  223 

she  consumed  four  days  on  her  journey,  as  said  in  the 
same  chapter  (No.  207). 

273.  I  Hkewise  reminded  the  reader,  that  when  the 
Evangelist  says,  that  holy  Mary  remained  about  three 
months  in  the  house  of  saint  Elisabeth,  there  were  only 
two  or  three  days  missing;  for  in  all  respects  the  Evan- 
gelist was  exact  in  his  words.  Accordingly  most  holy 
Mary,  our  Lady,  was  present  not  only  at  the  confine- 
ment of  saint  Elisabeth  and  at  the  birth  of  John,  but 
also  at  the  naming  and  circumcision  of  saint  John,  as  I 
will  now  show.  Counting  eight  days  after  the  incarna- 
tion of  the  Word,  our  Lady  arrived  at  the  house  of 
Elisabeth  on  the  evening  of  the  second  of  April,  if  we 
reckon  according  to  our  solar  months;  adding  thereto 
three  months  less  two  days,  we  have  the  first  of  July,  the 
eighth  day  of  the  birth  of  saint  John,  and  early  next 
day  most  holy  Mary  departed  on  her  return  to  Nazareth. 
Saint  Luke  mentions  the  return  of  our  Queen  before  he 
speaks  of  the  birth  of  saint  John,  although  this  happened 
before  She  returned.  The  sacred  text  anticipates  the 
mention  of  the  journey,  in  order  to  have  done  with  it, 
and  not  to  interrupt  the  thread  of  the  narrative  of  the 
Precursor's  birth.  This  is  what  I  was  told  to  write  down 
in  explanation  of  the  text. 

274.  Her  time  approaching,  saint  Elisabeth  felt  the 
child  in  motion  as  if  he  wanted  to  place  himself  on  his 
feet;  but  he  was  merely  following  the  ordinary  course 
of  nature  and  the  dictates  of  obedience.  Some  moderate 
pains  overtook  the  mother  and  she  informed  the  Princess 
Mary.  But  she  did  not  call  Her  to  be  present  at  the 
birth,  because  reverence  for  the  dignity  of  Mary  and  for 
ihe  Fruit  within  her  womb,  prudently  withheld  her  from 
asking,  what  might  not  seem  befitting.  Nor  was  the 
great  Mistress  in  the  same  room,  but  She  sent  her  the 


224  CITY    OF    GOD 

coverings  and  swaddling-clothes,  which  She  had  made 
for  the  fortunate  child.  Presently  thereafter  he  was 
born,  very  perfect  and  complete  in  shape,  and  by  the 
freedom  from  impure  matter  showed  signs  of  the  purity 
of  his  soul.  He  was  wrapped  in  the  coverings  sent  by 
Mary,  which  therefore  had  already  been  great  and  ven- 
erable relics.  Shortly  after,  when  saint  Elisabeth  had 
composed  herself,  most  holy  Mary,  at  the  command  of 
the  Lord,  issued  from  her  oratory,  in  order  to  pay  her 
visit  to  the  mother  and  child  and  give  them  her  bless- 
ing. 

275.  At  the  request  of  his  mother  the  Queen  received 
in  her  arms  the  new-bom  child  and  offered  him  as  a  new 
oblation  to  the  eternal  Father,  and  his  Majesty,  well 
pleased,  accepted  it  as  the  first-fruits  of  the  Incarnation 
and  of  the  divine  decrees.  The  most  blessed  child,  full 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  acknowledged  his  sovereign  Queen, 
showing  Her  not  only  interior,  but  outward  reverence 
by  a  secret  inclination  of  his  head,  and  again  he  adored 
the  divine  Word,  which  was  manifested  to  him  in  her 
womb  by  an  especial  light.  And  as  he  also  was  aware, 
that  he  was  privileged  before  all  men,  the  grateful  child 
performed  acts  of  fervent  thanksgiving,  humility,  love 
and  reverence  of  God  and  of  his  Virgin  Mother.  The 
heavenly  Queen,  in  offering  him  to  the  eternal  Father, 
pronounced  this  prayer  for  him:  "Highest  Lord  and 
Father,  all  holy  and  powerful,  accept  in  thy  honor  this 
offering  and  seasonable  fruit  of  thy  most  holy  Son  and 
my  Lord.  He  is  sanctified  by  the  Onlybegotten  and 
rescued  from  the  effects  of  sin  and  from  the  power  of 
thy  ancient  enemies.  Receive  this  morning's  sacrifice, 
and  infuse  into  this  child  the  blessings  of  thy  holy  Spirit, 
in  order  that  he  may  be  a  faithful  minister  to  Thee  and 
to  thy  Onlybegotten."     This  prayer  of  our  Queen  was 


THE   INCARNATION  225 

efficacious  in  all  respects,  and  She  perceived  how  the 
Lord  enriched  this  child,  chosen  as  his  Precursor;  and 
She  also  felt  within  Herself  the  effects  of  these  admirable 
blessings. 

276.  While  the  Queen  of  the  Universe  held  the  in- 
fant in  her  arms,  She  was  for  a  short  time  secretly 
wrapt  in  sweetest  ecstasy;  during  it  She  offered  up  this 
prayer  for  the  child,  holding  it  close  to  the  same  breast 
where  the  Onlybegotten  of  the  Eternal  and  her  own  was 
soon  to  rest.  This  was  the  singular  prerogative  of  the 
great  Precursor,  granted  to  none  among  the  saints. 
Therefore  it  is  not  surprising,  that  the  angel  called  him 
g^eat  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord;  for  before  he  was  bom, 
the  Lord  visited  and  sanctified  him,  and  being  born, 
he  was  placed  on  the  throne  of  grace;  he  was  embraced 
by  the  arms,  which  were  to  enfold  the  incarnate  Word 
God,  and  thereby  excited  in  the  sweetest  Mother  of  God 
the  entrancing  desire  of  holding  within  them  the  Son 
of  the  Most  High,  filling  Her  with  delightful  affections 
for  his  Precursor,  the  new-born  child.  Saint  Elisabeth, 
being  divinely  informed  of  these  sacraments,  beheld  her 
wonderful  child  in  the  arms  of  Her,  who  was  his  Mother 
in  a  more  exalted  sense  than  she  herself,  she  being  his 
mother  only,  as  to  his  natural  being,  while  most  holy 
Mary  held  that  position  as  to  his  existence  in  the  order 
of  grace.  All  this  caused  a  most  sweet  tie  of  affection 
between  the  most  blessed  women  and  in  the  child,  who 
likewise  was  enlightened  in  regard  to  these  mysteries. 
By  the  motions  of  his  tender  body  he  manifested  the 
joy  of  his  spirit,  clinging  to  the  heavenly  Lady  and  seek- 
ing to  attract  her  caresses  and  to  remain  with  Her.  The 
sweetest  Lady  fondled  him,  but  with  such  majestic  mod- 
eration, that  She  did  not  kiss  him,  as  his  age  would  have 
permitted;  for  She  preserved  her  most  chaste  lips  intact 


226  CITY    OF    GOD 

for  her  most  holy  Son.  Nor  did  She  look  intently  into 
his  face,  directing  all  her  intention  to  the  holiness  of  his 
soul.  So  great  was  the  prudence  and  modesty  of  the 
great  Queen  of  heaven  in  the  use  of  her  eyes,  that  She 
would  scarcely  have  known  him  by  sight. 

277.  When  the  birth  of  John  become  known,  all  the 
relations  and  acquaintances,  as  saint  Luke  says,  gathered 
to  congratulate  saint  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth,  for  his 
house  was  rich,  noble  and  honored  in  the  whole  province 
and  their  piety  attracted  the  hearts  of  all  that  knew  them. 
Having  known  them  so  many  years  without  children 
and  being  aware  of  the  sterility  and  advanced  age  of 
Elisabeth,  all  were  stirred  to  amazement  and  joyful 
wonder,  and  they  looked  upon  the  birth  of  the  child 
rather  as  a  miracle  than  as  a  natural  event.  The  holy 
priest  Zacharias  remained  mute  and  unable  to  manifest 
his  joy  by  word  of  mouth  ;  for  the  hour  of  his  miraculous 
cure  had  not  arrived.  But,  freed  of  his  incredulity,  he 
showed  his  joy  in  other  ways  and  he  was  full  of  affec- 
tionate gratitude  and  praise  for  the  rare  blessing,  which 
he  had  now  witnessed  with  his  own  eyes.  His  behavior 
we  shall  describe  in  the  next  chapter. 

INSTRUCTION    WHICH   THE  QUEEN   OE   HEAVEN    GAVE   ME. 

278.  My  dearest  daughter,  do  not  be  surprised,  that 
my  servant  John  feared  and  hesitated  to  come  into  the 
world.  Life  can  never  be  loved  by  the  ignorant  devotee 
of  the  world  in  the  same  degree,  as  the  wise,  in  divine 
science,  abhor  and  fear  its  dangers.  This  science  was 
eminently  possessed  by  the  Precursor  of  my  most  holy 
Son;  hence  knowing  of  the  loss  which  threatened,  he 
feared  the  risk.  But,  since  he  that  knows  and  dreads 
the  treacherous  seas  of  this  world,  sails  so  much  the 


THE   INCARNATION  227 

more  securely  over  their  unfathomed  depths,  it  served 
him  in  good  stead  for  entering  securely  into  the  world. 
The  fortunate  child  began  his  career  with  such  disgust 
and  abhorrence  of  all  earthly  things,  that  his  horror  never 
abated.  He  made  no  peace  with  the  flesh  (Mark  6,  17), 
nor  partook  of  its  poison,  nor  allowed  vanity  to  enter  his 
senses  nor  obstruct  his  eyes;  in  abhorrence  of  the  world 
and  of  worldly  things,  he  gave  his  life  for  justice.  The 
citizen  of  the  true  Jerusalem  cannot  be  in  peace  or  in 
alliance  with  Babylon;  nor  is  it  possible  to  enjoy  at 
the  same  time  the  grace  of  the  Most  High  and  the 
friendship  of  his  declared  enemies;  for  no  one  can  serve 
two  hostile  masters,  nor  can  light  and  darkness,  Christ 
and  Beliel,  harmonize  (Matth.  4,  4). 

279.  Guard  thyself,  my  dearest,  against  those  living  in 
darkness  and  the  lovers  of  the  world  more  than  against 
fire ;  for  the  wisdom  of  the  sons  of  this  world  is  carnal 
and  diabolical,  and  their  ways  lead  to  death.  In  order 
to  walk  the  way  of  truth,  even  at  the  cost  of  the  natural 
life,  it  is  necessary  to  preserve  the  peace  of  the  soul. 
Three  dwelling-places  I  point  out  for  thee  to  live  in, 
from  which  thou  must  never  intentionally  come  forth. 
If  at  any  time  the  Lord  should  bid  thee  to  relieve  the 
necessities  of  thy  fellow  creatures,  I  desire  that  thou  do 
not  lose  this  refuge.  Act  as  one  who  lives  in  a  castle 
surrounded  by  enemies,  and  who  perchance  must  go  to 
the  gate  to  transact  necessary  business.  He  acts  with 
such  wariness,  that  he  will  pay  more  attention  to  safe- 
guard his  retreat  and  shield  himself,  than  to  transact 
business  with  others,  being  always  on  the  watch  and 
on  guard  against  danger.  So  must  thou  live,  if  thou 
wishest  to  live  securely ;  for  doubt  not,  that  enemies  more 
cruel  and  poisonous  than  asps  and  basilisks  surround 
thee. 


228  CITY    OF    GOD 

280.  Thy  habitations  shall  be  the  Divinity  of  the  Most 
High,  the  humanity  of  my  most  holy  Son,  and  thy  own 
hiterior.  In  the  Divinity  thou  must  live  like  the  pearl 
in  its  shell,  or  like  the  fish  in  the  sea,  allowing  thy 
desires  and  affections  to  roam  in  its  infinite  spaces.  The 
most  holy  humanity  shall  be  the  wall,  which  defends  thee; 
and  his  bosom  shall  be  the  place  of  thy  rest,  and  under 
his  wings  shalt  thou  find  refreshment  (Ps.  16,  8).  Thy 
own  interior  shall  afford  thee  peaceful  delight  through 
the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience  (Cor.  2,  12),  and 
it  will,  if  thou  keep  it  pure,  familiarize  thee  with  the 
sweet  and  friendly  intercourse  of  thy  Spouse.  In  order 
that  thou  mayest  be  aided  therein  by  retirement  of  the 
body,  I  desire  that  thou  remain  secluded  in  thy  choir 
or  in  thy  cell,  leaving  it  only,  when  obedience  or  charity 
make  it  inevitable.  I  will  tell  thee  a  secret :  there  are 
demons,  whom  Lucifer  has  expressly  ordered  to  watch 
for  the  religious,  who  come  forth  from  their  retire- 
ment, in  order  to  beset  them  and  engage  them  in  battle 
and  cause  their  fall.  The  demons  do  not  easily  go  into 
the  cells,  because  there  they  do  not  find  the  occasions 
afforded  by  conversations  and  the  use  of  the  senses, 
wherein  they  ordinarily  capture  and  devour  their  prey 
like  ravenous  wolves.  They  are  tormented  by  the  re- 
tirement and  recollection  of  religious,  knowing  that  they 
are  foiled  in  their  attempts,  as  long  as  they  cannot  entice 
them  into  human  discourse. 

281.  It  is  also  certain  that  ordinarily  the  demons  have 
no  power  over  souls,  unless  they  gain  entrance  by  some 
venial  or  mortal  fault.  Mortal  sin  gives  them  a  sort  of 
direct  right  over  those  who  commit  it;  while  venial  sin 
weakens  the  strength  of  the  soul  and  invites  their  attacks. 
Imperfections  diminish  the  merit  and  the  progress  of 
virtue,  and  encourage  the  enemy.    Whenever  the  astute 


THE   INCARNATION  229 

serpent  notices  that  the  soul  bears  with  its  own  levity 
and  forgets  about  its  danger,  it  blinds  it  and  seeks  to 
instill  its  deadly  poison.  The  enemy  then  entices  the 
soul  like  a  little  heedless  bird,  until  it  falls  into  one 
of  the  many  snares  from  which  there  seems  to  be  no 
escape. 

282.  Admire  then,  my  daughter,  what  thou  hast 
learned  by  divine  enlightenment  and  weep  in  deepest 
sorrow  over  the  ruin  of  so  many  souls  absorbed  in  such 
dangerous  tepidity.  They  live  in  the  obscurity  of  their 
passions  and  depraved  inclinations,  forgetful  of  the 
danger,  unmoved  by  their  losses,  and  heedless  of  their 
dealings.  Instead  of  fearing  and  avoiding  the  occa- 
sions of  evil,  they  encounter  and  seek  for  ihem  in 
blind  ignorance.  In  senseless  fury  they  follow  their 
pleasures,  place  no  restraint  on  their  passionate  desires, 
and  care  not  where  they  walk,  even  if  to  the  most  dan- 
gerous precipices.  They  are  surrounded  by  innumerable 
enemies,  who  pursue  them  with  diabolical  treachery,  un- 
ceasing vigilance,  unquenchable  wrath  and  restless  dili- 
gence. What  wonder  then,  that  from  such  extremes, 
or  rather  from  such  unequal  combat,  irreparable  defeats 
should  arise  among  the  mortals?  And  that,  since  the 
number  of  fools  is  infinite,  the  number  of  the  reprobate 
should  also  be  uncountable,  and  that  the  demon  should 
be  inflated  by  his  triumphs  in  the  perdition  of  so  many 
men?  May  the  eternal  God  preserve  thee  from  such  a 
misfortune;  and  do  thou  weep  and  deplore  that  of  thy 
brethren,  continually  asking  for  their  salvation  as  far 
as  is  possible. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  good  council  and  instruction,  which  most 
holy  mary  gave  to  saint  elisabeth  at  her  re- 
quest; saint  john  is  circumcised  and  receives 
his  name;  zacharias  prophesies. 

283.  After  the  birth  of  the  Precursor  of  Christ  the 
return  of  most  holy  Mary  was  unavoidable ;  and  although 
the  prudent  Elisabeth  had  found  consolation  in  resign- 
ing herself  to  the  divine  will,  she  could  not  restrain 
her  desire  of  securing  for  herself  the  good  counsel  and 
instruction  of  the  Mother  of  wisdom.  Therefore  She 
spoke  to  Her  and  said :  "My  Mistress  and  Mother  of  the 
Creator,  I  know,  that  Thou  art  preparing  to  leave  me 
and  that  I  am  to  be  deprived  of  thy  loving  intercourse, 
help  and  protection.  I  beseech  Thee,  my  Cousin,  furnish 
me  with  some  good  counsel,  which  will  help  me  to  con- 
form all  my  actions  to  the  greater  pleasure  of  the  Most 
High.  In  thy  virginal  womb  Thou  bearest  Him,  who  is 
the  Corrector  of  the  wise  and  the  fountain  of  light 
(Wis.  7,  15)  ;  through  Him  Thou  canst  communicate  it 
to  all.  Let  some  of  the  rays,  which  illumine  thy  purest 
soul  fall  upon  thy  servant,  in  order  that  I  may  be  en- 
lightened in  the  paths  of  justice,  until  I  arrive  at  the 
vision  of  the  God  of  gods  in  Sion."     (Ps.  22,  3.) 

284.  These  words  of  saint  Elisabeth  moved  the  most 
holy  Mary  to  tender  compassion  and  She  spoke  words 
that  served  her  cousin  as  celestial  guidance  for  the  rest 
of  her  life.  This,  She  said,  would  be  of  short  duration; 
but  the  Most  High  would  take  care  of  her  child,  and  She 

230 


THE   INCARNATION  231 

herself  had  prayed  for  him  to  the  Almighty.  Although 
it  is  not  possible  to  record  all  the  sweet  words  of  counsel, 
which  the  heavenly  Lady  spoke  to  saint  Elisabeth  before 
her  departure,  I  will  write  down  some  of  them,  as  far 
as  I  have  understood  them  and  as  far  as  they  can  be 
reproduced  by  our  insufficient  language.  Most  holy  Mary 
said :  "My  beloved  cousin,  the  Lord  has  selected  Thee  for 
the  fulfillment  of  most  exalted  mysteries.  He  has  con- 
descended to  enlighten  thee  concerning  them  and  wishes, 
that  I  should  open  to  thee  my  heart.  Thy  name  is 
written  within  it  for  remembrance  before  his  Majesty. 
I  will  not  forget  the  devoted  kindness  with  which  thou 
hast  treated  me,  the  most  useless  of  creatures ;  and  from 
my  most  holy  Son  and  Lord  I  hope  thou  shalt  receive  a 
plentiful  reward." 

285.  "Keep  thy  mind  and  spirit  fixed  on  high  and  by 
the  light  of  divine  grace  preserve  the  vision  of  the  un- 
changeable and  infinite  being  of  God  and  the  remem- 
brance of  his  immense  goodness,  which  moved  Him  to 
create  out  of  nothing  all  the  intellectual  creatures  in  order 
to  bestow  upon  them  his  glory  and  his  gifts  of  grace. 
The  extreme  mercy  of  the  Most  High,  in  favoring  us 
more  than  all  other  creatures  with  his  knowledge  and 
light,  ought  to  incite  us  to  make  up  by  our  thankfulness 
for  the  blind  ingratitude  of  mortals,  who  are  so  far  re- 
moved from  acknowledging  and  praising  their  Creator. 
This  shall  be  our  task,  that  we  keep  our  hearts  free  and 
unhindered  in  our  advance  toward  the  last  end.  There- 
fore, my  beloved,  I  charge  thee  to  keep  it  unhampered 
and  unburdened  of  all  earthly  things,  free  from  even 
such  as  pertain  to  thy  possessions,  in  order  that,  void 
of  earthly  hindrances,  it  may  attend  to  the  divine  calls. 
Hope  in  the  coming  of  the  Lord  (Luke  12,  36),  so 
that  when  He  arrives,  thou  mayest  answer  his  call  joy- 


232  CITY    OF    GOD 

fully  and  not  with  convulsive  violence  at  the  thought 
of  leaving  thy  body  and  all  earthly  things.  Now,  while 
it  is  time  to  suffer  and  earn  the  crown,  let  us  gain  merit 
and  hasten  to  be  united  intimately  with  our  true  and 
highest  God."  ^ 

286.  "As  long  as  thy  husband  Zacharias  lives,  seek 
to  love,  serve  and  obey  him  with  especial  earnestness. 
Look  upon  thy  miraculous  child  as  a  continual  sacrifice  to 
his  Creator;  in  God  and  for  God  thou  canst  love  him  as 
a  mother;  for  he  shall  be  a  great  Prophet,  and  in  the 
spirit  of  Elias  he  shall  defend  the  honor  of  the  Most 
High  and  exalt  his  name.  My  most  holy  Son,  who  has 
chosen  him  for  his  Precursor  and  for  the  harbinger  of 
his  coming,  will  favor  him  with  the  special  gifts  of  his 
right  hand  (Matth.  11,  9)  and  make  him  great  and  won- 
derful among  the  nations,  manifesting  to  the  world 
his  great  sanctity." 

287.  "See  that  the  holy  name  of  thy  God  and  the  Lord 
of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  be  honored  and  reverenced 
by  all  thy  house  and  family  (Tob.  4).  Above  all  be 
anxiously  careful  to  relieve  the  needs  of  the  poor,  as  far 
as  is  possible;  enrich  them  with  the  temporal  goods  so 
lavishly  given  to  thee  by  thy  God ;  show  a  like  generosity 
to  the  needy,  knowing  that  these  earthly  goods  are  more 
theirs  than  yours,  since  we  are  the  children  of  the  heav- 
enly Father  to  whom  all  things  belong.  It  is  not  proper, 
that  the  child  of  a  rich  father  should  live  in  superfluity, 
while  his  brethren  live  in  poverty  and  need.  In  this  thou 
canst  make  thyself  especially  pleasing  to  the  Good  of 
undying  mercy.  Continue  in  thy  former  practices  and 
follow  out  thy  plans  of  still  greater  charity,  since  Zachar- 
ias has  given  this  work  into  thy  hands.  With  his  per- 
mission thou  canst  be  generous.  Confirm  thy  hopes  in 
all  the  tasks  imposed  upon  thee  by  the  Lord,  and  with 


THE   INCARNATION  233 

thy  fellow  beings  practice  kindness,  humility  and  patience 
in  the  joy  of  thy  soul,  although  some  of  them  will  give 
thee  occasion  to  increase  thy  crown  of  merit.  Bless 
God  eternally  for  having  manifested  to  thee  his  exalted 
mysteries  and  pray  for  the  salvation  of  souls  with  un- 
abated love  and  zeal.  Pray  also  for  me,  that  his  Majesty 
may  govern  and  guide  me  worthily  to  preserve  the  sacra- 
ment confided  by  his  goodness  to  so  lowly  and  poor  a 
servant  as  I  am.  Send  for  my  husband  in  order  that 
I  may  have  his  company  while  returning  to  Nazareth. 
In  the  meanwhile  prepare  for  the  circumcision  of  thy 
child  and  call  him  John ;  for  this  name  was  given  to  him 
according  to  an  unchangeable  decree  of  the  Most  High." 

288.  These  counsels  of  most  holy  Mary  together  with 
other  words  of  eternal  life  produced  in  the  heart  of  saint 
Elisabeth  such  divine  affections,  that  for  a  time,  she  was 
lost  in  the  exalted  teachings  and  sentiments  of  these 
heavenly  doctrines  and  made  mute  by  the  force  of  the 
spiritual  light  infused  into  her.  For  the  Lord,  by  means 
of  the  living  words  of  his  most  pure  Mother,  enlivened 
and  renewed  the  heart  of  his  servant.  When  the  flow  of 
her  tears  had  moderated,  she  answered:  "My  Mistress 
and  Queen  of  the  universe,  speech  fails  me  in  alternate 
sorrow  and  consolation.  Hear  Thou  the  words  of  my 
inmost  heart,  which  my  tongue  cannot  express.  My 
affections  shall  witness,  what  my  lips  leave  unspoken. 
May  the  Lord,  who  is  the  enricher  of  our  poverty, 
return  to  Thee  the  favor  Thou  showest  me.  I  beseech 
Thee,  who  art  the  fountain  of  all  my  help  and  the  source 
of  all  my  blessings,  to  obtain  for  me  the  grace  to  fulfill 
thy  counsels  and  to  bear  the  great  sorrow  of  losing  thy 
company." 

289.  Then  they  bespoke  the  arrangements  for  the  cir- 
cumcision of  the  child,   for  the  time  appointed  by  the 


234  CITY   OF   GOD 

law  was  approaching.  Complying  with  the  custom  ob- 
served among  the  Jews,  especially  among  the  more  dis- 
tinguished, many  relatives  and  other  acquaintances  of  the 
house  of  Zacharias  began  to  gather,  in  order  to  resolve 
upon  the  name  to  be  given  to  the  child ;  for,  in  addition 
to  the  ordinary  preparations  and  consultations  concerning 
the  name  to  be  given  to  a  son,  the  high  position  of 
Zacharias  and  Elisabeth  and  the  news  of  the  miraculous 
fecundity  of  the  mother  naturally  suggested  the  existence 
of  some  great  mystery  to  the  minds  of  all  their  relations. 
Zacharias  was  still  dumb,  and  therefore  it  was  necessary 
that  saint  Elisableth  should  preside  at  this  meeting. 
Over  and  above  the  high  esteem  which  she  inspired,  she 
now  exhibited  such  evident  signs  of  the  exalted  renewal 
and  sanctification  of  her  soul,  which  resulted  from  the 
knowledge  of  the  mysteries  and  from  the  intercourse 
with  the  Queen  of  heaven,  that  all  her  relatives  and 
friends  noticed  the  change.  For  even  in  her  counte- 
nance she  exhibited  a  kind  of  efifulgence  which  made  her 
mysteriously  attractive  and  was  the  reflection  of  the 
Divinity,  in  whose  presence  she  lived. 

290.  At  this  meeting  was  present  also  the  heavenly 
Lady  Mary,  for  Elisabeth  had  earnestly  besought  Her, 
and  had  even  compelled  Her  by  a  sort  of  reverent  and 
humble  command.  The  great  Lady  obeyed,  but  She 
begged  the  Most  High  not  to  make  known  any  of  her 
great  privileges,  lest  She  draw  upon  Herself  the  applause 
or  veneration  of  others.  The  desire  of  the  most  Hum- 
ble among  the  humble  was  granted.  And  as  the  world 
persists  in  ignoring  those  who  fail  to  use  ostentation, 
nobody  took  particular  notice  of  Her  except  saint  Elisa- 
beth, who  looked  upon  Her  with  outward  and  inward 
reverence  and  who  knew,  that  on  Her  depended  the 
success   of   this    consultation.     As    is    recorded    in    the 


THE   INCARNATION  235 

Gospel  of  saint  Luke,  some  of  those  present  in  the  meet- 
ing suggested  that  the  infant  be  named  after  his  father: 
but  the  prudent  mother,  seconded  by  the  most  holy  Mary, 
said:  "My  son  must  be  named  John."  Her  relatives 
objected,  that  none  of  their  family  bore  that  name;  for 
the  names  of  illustrious  forefathers  were  always  held  in 
great  esteem,  and  were  preferred  in  order  to  incite  their 
bearers  to  the  imitation  of  ancestral  virtues.  Saint  Elisa- 
beth again  expressed  herself  to  the  effect,  that  the  child 
should  be  called  John. 

291.  The  relatives  then  appealed  by  signs  to  Zacha- 
rias,  who,  being  unable  to  speak,  asked  for  a  pen  and 
declared  his  will  by  writing  upon  the  tablet :  "Johannes 
est  nomen  ejus."  "John  is  his  name."  At  the  same 
time  most  holy  Mary,  making  use  of  her  power  over  all 
nature,  commanded  the  dumbness  to  leave  him,  his 
tongue  to  be  loosened,  as  the  moment  had  arrived  when 
it  should  bless  the  Lord.  At  this  heavenly  command  he 
found  himself  freed  from  his  affliction,  and,  to  the  as- 
tonishment and  fear  of  all  present,  he  began  to  speak, 
as  narrated  by  the  Evangelist.  What  I  say  here  is  not 
adverse  to  the  Gospel  narrative;  for,  although  it  is  there 
related,  that  the  angel  foretold  Zacharias  that  he  should 
remain  mute  until  his  message  should  be  fulfilled,  yet 
God,  when  He  reveals  any  decree  of  his  will,  absolutely 
unfailing  as  they  are,  does  not  always  reveal  the  means 
or  the  manner  of  their  fulfillment,  foreseen  by  Him  in 
his  infinite  foreknowledge.  Thus  the  archangel  an- 
nounced to  Zacharias  the  punishment  of  his  unbelief,  but 
he  did  not  tell  him  that  he  should  be  freed  from  it  by  the 
intercession  of  most  holy  Mary,  although  this  also  had 
been  foreseen  and  decreed. 

292.  Therefore,  just  as  the  voice  of  our  Lady  Mary 
was  the  instrument  for  the  sanctification  of  the  child 


236  CITY   OF   GOD 

John  and  his  mother,  so  her  secret  mandate  and  her  inter- 
cession had  the  effect  of  loosening  the  tongue  of  Zach- 
arias,  filling  him  with  the  holy  Spirit  and  the  gift  of 
prophecy.  Hence  he  broke  forth  in  the  words  (Luke  1, 
68-79)  : 

68.  "Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel;  because 
He  hath  visited  and  wrought  the  redemption  of  his 
people : 

69.  And  hath  raised  up  an  horn  of  salvation  to  us, 
in  the  house  of  David  his  servant : 

70.  And  he  hath  spoken  by  the  mouth  of  his  holy 
prophets,  who  are  from  the  beginning; 

7L  Salvation  from  our  enemies,  and  from  the  hands 
of  all  that  hate  us : 

72.  To  perform  mercy  to  our  fathers,  and  to  re- 
member his  holy  testament, 

73.  The  oath,  which  he  swore  to  Abraham  our 
father,  that  he  would  grant  to  us, 

74.  That  being  delivered  from  the  hand  of  our 
enemies,  we  may  serve  him  without  fear, 

75.  In  holiness  and  justice  before  him,  all  our  days. 

76.  And  thou,  child,  shalt  be  called  the  prophet  of 
the  Highest :  for  thou  shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the 
Lord  to  prepare  his  ways : 

77.  To  give  knowledge  of  salvation  to  his  people: 
unto  the  remission  of  their  sins : 

78.  Through  the  bowels  of  the  mercy  of  our  God, 
in  which  the  Orient  from  on  high  hath  visited  us : 

79.  To  enlighten  them  that  sit  in  darkness,  and  in 
the  shadow  of  death:  to  direct  our  feet  into  the  way 
of  peace." 

293.  In  the  divine  canticle  of  the  Benedictus  Zacharias 
embodied  all  of  the  highest  mysteries,  which  the  ancient 
prophets  had  foretold  in  a  more  profuse  manner  con- 


THE   INCARNATION  237 

cerning-  the  Divinity,  Humanity  and  the  Redemption  of 
Christ,  and  in  these  few  words  he  embraces  many  great 
sacraments.  He  also  understood  them  by  the  grace  and 
light,  which  filled  his  spirit,  and  which  raised  him  up  in 
the  sight  of  all  that  had  come  to  attend  the  circumcision 
of  his  son ;  for  all  of  them  were  witnesses  to  the  solving 
of  his  tongue  and  to  his  divine  prophecies.  I  will  hardly 
be  able  to  give  an  explanation  of  the  deep  meaning  of 
these  prophecies,  such  as  they  had  in  the  mind  of  that 
holy  priest. 

294.  "Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,"  he  says, 
knowing  that  the  Most  High  could  have  saved  his  people 
and  given  them  eternal  salvation  merely  by  desiring  it 
or  speaking  one  word,  but  He  exerted  not  only  his  power, 
but  showed  also  his  immense  goodness  and  mercy,  the 
Son  of  the  eternal  Father  himself  coming  down  to  visit 
his  people  and  to  become  their  Brother  in  the  human 
nature ;  their  Teacher  by  his  example  and  doctrine,  their 
Redeemer  by  his  life,  passion  and  death  of  the  Cross. 
At  these  words  Zacharias  understood  the  union  of  the 
two  natures  in  the  person  of  the  Word  and  in  heavenly 
clearness  he  saw  this  mystery  realized  in  the  virginal 
bridal-chamber  of  the  most  holy  Mary.  He  understood 
also  the  exaltation  of  the  Humanity  by  the  triumph  of 
the  Godman,  in  earning  the  salvation  of  the  human  race 
according  to  the  promises  made  to  David  and  his  ances- 
tors (II  Kings  7,  12;  Ps.  131,  11).  He  understood 
that  the  same  promise  had  been  made  to  the  whole  world 
by  the  prophecies  of  the  Saints  and  Patriarchs  from  the 
beginning.  For  from  the  first  creation  God  commenced 
to  direct  the  course  of  nature  and  grace  toward  his 
coming  into  the  world,  and  to  ordain  all  his  works  since 
the  time  of  Adam  toward  this  same  blessed  end. 

295.  He  understood  that  the  Most  High  in  this  man- 

2-17 


238  CITY   OF   GOD 

ner  provided  for  us  the  means  of  obtaining  grace  and 
eternal  life  lost  by  our  enemies  in  their  pride  and  stub- 
bom  disobedience,  which  hurled  them  into  hell;  and  the 
seats  which  would  have  been  theirs,  if  they  had  been 
obedient,  were  reserved  for  the  obedient  among  the 
mortals.  He  saw  how  ever  since  then  the  enmity  which 
the  serpent  had  conceived  against  God  was  now  turned 
against  men,  because  we  were  decreed  and  enshrined  in 
the  eternal  mind  according  to  his  divine  will  (Apoca- 
lypse 12,  17)  ;  how  Adam  and  Eve,  our  first  parents, 
having  fallen  from  his  friendship  and  grace,  were  not 
given  over  to  chastisement,  like  the  rebellious  angels,  but 
were  raised  to  a  state  of  hope  (Wisdom  10,  2)  ;  and 
that,  in  order  to  assure  their  descendants  of  his  mercy, 
God  provided  the  prophecies  and  figures  of  the  old  Tes- 
tament, which  were  to  be  fulfilled  in  the  coming  of  the 
Redeemer  and  Savior.  To  make  this  promise  still  more 
certain  it  was  made  to  Abraham  under  an  oath,  affirm- 
ing that  he  would  be  the  father  of  all  his  people  and  of 
all  the  children  of  the  faith  (Gen.  22,  16).  Assured  of 
this  stupendous  and  vast  blessing,  namely  that  of  receiv- 
ing his  own  Son  made  man,  we  may  serve  God  free  from 
the  fear  of  our  enemies ;  for  by  our  adoption  and  regen- 
eration they  are  already  overcome  and  subdued  through 
our  Redeemer  (Gal.  4,  5). 

296.  In  order  that  we  may  understand  what  the  Word 
has  earned  for  us  in  restoring  to  us  this  liberty  in  the 
service  of  God,  he  says:  that  He  has  renewed  the  world 
in  sanctity  and  justice,  and  founded  the  new  law  of 
grace  for  all  the  days  of  this  world,  and  for  the  time  of 
life  given  to  each  of  the  children  of  the  Church.  In  it 
they  not  only  can,  but  they  should  live  in  holiness  and 
justice.  And  as  Zacharias  saw  in  his  son  John  the  be- 
ginning of  all  these  sacraments,  he  turns  to  him  and  con- 


THE   INCARNATION  239 

gratulates  him,  because  of  the  dignity  and  sancity  of  his 
office,  saying :  And  thou,  child,  shalt  be  called  a  prophet 
of  the  Most  High;  for  thou  shalt  go  before  his  face, 
namely  his  Divinity,  and  prepare  his  ways  by  spreading 
the  light  of  his  coming,  and  giving  notice  to  the  people 
of  the  Jews  concerning  eternal  life,  which  is  Christ  our 
Lord,  the  promised  Messias  (Mark  1,  41).  Thus  might 
they  dispose  themselves  by  the  baptism  of  penance  for 
the  remission  of  their  sins  and  become  convinced  that 
the  Messias  has  come  to  take  away  not  only  their  sins, 
but  those  of  the  whole  world  (John  1,  29)  ;  since  it 
is  through  his  mercy  and  on  account  of  his  merits 
(Tit.  3,  5)  that  He  visits  us,  by  descending  from  the 
bosom  of  the  eternal  Father  and  by  being  born  as  man. 
He  it  was  that  brought  light  to  those  who  had  lost  the 
truth  for  so  many  ages,  who  were  sitting  in  darkness  and 
in  the  shadows  of  death.  He  it  was  who  by  his  own 
example  taught  us  to  direct  our  steps  toward  the  true 
peace,  which  we  were  awaiting. 

297.  Much  more  clearly  than  I  can  explain,  Zacharias 
perceived  these  mysteries  in  their  plenitude  and  depth, 
and  expressed  them  in  his  prophecies.  Some  of  those 
present  were  likewise  enlightened,  becoming  aware  that 
the  time  of  the  Messias  and  of  the  fulfillment  of  the 
ancient  prophecies  was  at  hand.  Full  of  astonishment  at 
these  unexpected  wonders  and  prodigies,  they  exclaimed : 
"Who  shall  this  child  be,  since  the  hand  of  the  Most 
High  is  in  him  so  marvelous  and  powerful?"  In  ac- 
cordance with  the  letter  of  the  law,  and  with  the  concur- 
rence of  his  father  and  mother,  the  child  was  then  cir- 
cumcised and  named  John ;  and  the  report  of  these  won- 
ders spread  through  all  the  mountains  of  Judea. 

298.  Queen  of  the  universe,  I  admire  the  wonderful 
works  wrought  through  thy  intervention  by  the  arm  of 


240  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  Lord  in  his  servants  Elisabeth,  John  and  Zacharias. 
At  the  same  time  I  reflect  on  the  different  courses  pur- 
sued by  divine  Providence  and  on  thy  rare  discretion. 
Thy  most  sweet  voice  served  the  son  and  the  mother  as 
an  instrument  of  sanctification,  filling  them  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  this  remained  hidden ;  then  again  thy  secret 
prayer  and  command  solved  the  tongue  of  Zacharias,  and 
this  was  manifested  to  all  the  bystanders,  revealing  the 
effects  of  God's  grace  in  the  holy  priest.  I  cannot  find 
the  reason  for  this  diversity,  and  therefore  I  make  known 
to  Thee  my  ignorance,  so  that  Thou  mayest  instruct  me 
as  my  Teacher. 

ANSWER  AND  INSTRUCTION   OF  ThE  QUEEN   OE  TH^ 
WORLD. 

299.  For  two  reasons,  my  daughter,  the  divine  effects 
wrought  through  me  by  my  Son  in  saint  John  and  Elisa- 
beth were  concealed,  while  those  in  Zacharias  were  mani- 
fest. First,  because  Elisabeth  spoke  out  clearly  in  praise 
of  the  incarnate  Word  and  of  me;  yet  at  the  time  it  was 
not  proper  that  either  this  mystery  or  my  dignity  should 
be  openly  known;  the  coming  of  the  Messias  was  to  be 
manifested  by  other  more  appropriate  means.  Secondly, 
not  all  hearts  were  so  well  prepared  as  that  of  Elisabeth 
for  receiving  such  precious  and  unprecedented  seed  of 
divine  knowledge,  nor  would  they  have  welcomed  such 
sacramental  revelation  with  due  reverence.  On  the  other 
hand  it  was  more  becoming  that  Zacharias  in  his  priestly 
dignity  should  proclaim  what  was  then  to  be  made 
known;  for  the  beginnings  of  the  heavenly  light  would 
be  accepted  more  readily  from  him  than  from  saint 
Elisabeth,  especially  while  he  was  present.  That  which 
she  said,  was  reserved  to  bring  forth  its  effects  in  due 


THE   INCARNATION  241 

time.  Although  the  words  of  God  have  their  own 
inherent  force;  yet  the  more  sweet  and  acceptable  man- 
ner of  communicating  with  the  ignorant  and  the  un- 
skilled in  divine  mysteries  is  by  means  of  the  priest. 

300.  Likewise  it  was  proper  that  the  dignity  and 
honor  of  the  priesthood  should  receive  its  due;  for  the 
Most  High  holds  the  priests  in  such  esteem,  that  if  He 
finds  them  in  the  right  disposition,  He  exalts  them  and 
fills  them  with  his  Spirit  in  order  that  the  world  may 
venerate  them  as  his  chosen  and  anointed  ones.  More- 
over the  wonders  of  the  Lord  run  less  risk  in  priests, 
even  when  they  are  more  openly  revealed  to  them.  If 
they  live  up  to  their  dignity,  their  works  in  comparison 
with  those  of  the  other  creatures,  are  like  those  of  the 
angels  and  of  the  seraphim.  Their  countenance  should 
be  resplendent,  like  that  of  Moses,  when  he  came  forth 
from  converse  with  the  Lord  (Exod.  34,  29).  At  least 
they  should  deal  with  the  rest  of  men  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  be  honored  and  revered  as  next  to  God.  I 
desire  that  thou  understand,  my  dearest,  that  the  Most 
High  is  greatly  incensed  against  the  world  in  this 
matter:  as  well  against  the  priests  as  against  laymen. 
Against  the  priests  because,  forgetting  their  exalted  dig- 
nity, they  debase  themselves  by  a  contemptible,  degraded 
and  scandalous  life,  giving  bad  example  to  the  world  by 
mixing  up  with  it  to  the  neglect  of  their  sanctification. 
And  against  the  laymen,  because  they  act  with  a  fool- 
hardy presumption  toward  the  anointed  of  the  Lord, 
whom,  though  of  imperfect  and  blameworthy  lives, 
they  ought  to  honor  and  revere  as  taking  the  place  of 
Christ,  my  most  holy  Son,  on  earth. 

301.  On  account  of  this  reverence  due  to  the  priest- 
hood my  behavior  toward  saint  Zacharias  was  different 
from  that  toward  Elisabeth.     For,  although  the  Lord 


242  CITY   OF   GOD 

wished,  that  I  should  be  the  instrument,  by  which  the 
gifts  of  the  holy  Spirit  should  be  communicated  to  both; 
yet  I  saluted  Elisabeth  in  such  a  manner,  that  I  at  the 
same  time  showed  a  certain  authority,  exerting  my  power 
over  the  original  sin  of  her  son;  for  at  my  words  this 
sin  was  forgiven  him,  and  both  mother  and  son  were 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  As  I  had  not  contracted 
original  sin  and  was  exempt  from  it,  I  possessed  do- 
minion over  it  on  this  occasion:  I  commanded  as  the 
Mistress,  who  had  triumphed  over  it  by  the  help  of  the 
Lord  (Gen.  3,  5),  and  who  was  no  slave  of  it,  as  all 
the  sons  of  Adam,  who  sinned  in  him  (Rom.  5,  12). 
Therefore  the  Lord  desired  that,  in  order  to  free  John 
from  the  slavery  and  chains  of  sin,  I  should  command 
over  it  as  one  who  never  was  subject  to  its  bondage.  I 
did  not  salute  Zacharias  in  this  authoritative  way,  but  I 
prayed  for  him,  observing  the  reverence  and  decorum 
due  to  his  dignity  and  my  modesty.  I  would  not  have 
commanded  the  tongue  of  the  priest  to  be  loosened,  not 
even  mentally  and  secretly,  if  the  Most  High  had  not 
enjoined  it  upon  me,  intimating  at  the  same  time,  that  the 
defect  of  speech  hardly  suited  his  office,  for  a  priest 
should  stand  ready  to  serve  and  praise  the  Almighty  with 
all  his  powers.  In  regard  to  the  respect  due  to  priests  I 
will  tell  thee  more  on  another  occasion ;  let  this  suffice  at 
present  for  the  solution  of  thy  doubt. 

302.  But  from  my  instruction  today  learn  especially 
to  seek  direction  in  the  way  of  virtue  and  of  eternal  life 
in  all  thy  intercourse  with  men,  be  they  above  or  below 
thee  in  dignity.  Imitate  therein  me  and  my  cousin  Elisa- 
beth, with  due  discretion  asking  all  to  direct  thee  and 
guide  thee;  for  in  return  for  such  humility  the  Lord  will 
provide  thee  with  secure  counsel  and  divine  light  for 
exercising  thy  discreet  and  sincere  love  of  virtue.    Drive 


THE   INCARNATION  243 

away,  or  do  not  allow  thyself  to  be  influenced  by  even 
the  least  breath  of  flattery  and  avoid  the  conversations 
which  expose  thee  to  it;  for  such  deceitful  pleasure 
darkens  the  light  and  perverts  the  unsuspecting  mind. 
The  Lord  is  so  jealous  of  the  souls  especially  beloved  by 
Him,  that  He  will  immediately  turn  away  from  them  if 
they  find  pleasure  in  the  praises  of  men  and  seek  to 
recompense  themselves  by  their  flatteries;  since  by  this 
levity  they  become  unworthy  of  his  favors.  It  is  not 
possible  to  unite  in  a  soul  the  adulations  of  the  world 
and  the  caresses  of  the  Most  High.  For  these  latter 
are  sincere,  holy,  pure,  and  lasting:  they  humiliate, 
cleanse,  pacify  and  illumine  the  heart;  while  on  the  other 
hand  the  flatteries  of  creatures  are  vain,  fleeting,  deceit- 
ful, impure  and  false,  issuing  from  the  mouths  of  those 
who  are  all  liars  (Ps.  115,  11)  ;  and  whatever  is  deceitful 
is  a  work  of  the  enemy, 

303.  Thy  Spouse,  my  dearest  daughter,  does  not  wish 
thy  ears  to  be  enthralled  by  deceitful  earthly  talk,  nor 
contaminated  by  the  flatteries  of  the  world.  Therefore 
I  desire  that  thou  keep  them  closed  and  well  guarded 
against  all  these  poisonous  influences.  If  thy  Lord  is 
pleased  to  speak  to  thy  heart  the  words  of  eternal  life,  it 
is  proper  that  thou  thyself  be  deaf  and  lifeless  to  all  that 
is  earthly.  All  else  should  be  to  thee  a  deadly  torment 
in  comparison  with  the  caresses  of  his  love.  Remember 
that  thou  owest  Him  the  perfection  of  thy  love,  and  that 
all  hell  will  combine  against  thee,  in  order  to  ensnare 
thee  by  thy  natural  tenderness  to  be  sweet  and  loving 
toward  creatures,  and  less  grateful  to  the  eternal  God. 
Watch  over  thyself,  and  see  that  thou  resist  this  un- 
faithfulness, trusting  in  thy  beloved  Master  and  Spouse. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

MOST    HOIvY    MARY    LEAVES    THE    HOUSE    OE    ZACHARIAS 
AND  RETURNS  TO  HER  HOME  IN  NAZARETH. 

304.  At  the  call  of  Elisabeth,  the  most  fortunate  of 
husbands,  saint  Joseph,  had  come  in  order  to  attend 
most  holy  Mary  on  her  return  to  her  home  in  Nazareth. 
On  arriving  at  the  house  of  Zacharias  he  had  been  wel- 
comed with  indescribable  reverence  and  devotion  by  saint 
Elisabeth  and  Zacharias;  for  now  also  the  holy  priest 
knew  that  he  was.  the  guardian  of  the  sacramental  treas- 
ures of  heaven,  though  this  was  yet  unknown  to  the 
great  patriarch  saint  Joseph  himself.  His  heavenly 
Spouse  received  him  in  modest  and  discreet  jubilation, 
and,  kneeling  before  him.  She,  as  usual,  besought  his 
blessing,  and  also  his  pardon,  for  having  failed  to  serve 
him  for  nearly  three  months  during  her  attendance  upon 
her  cousin  Elisabeth.  Though  She  had  been  guilty  of 
no  fault,  not  even  of  an  imperfection  in  thus  devotedly 
fulfilling  the  will  of  God  in  conformity  with  the  wishes 
of  her  spouse,  yet,  by  this  courteous  and  endearing  act 
of  humility.  She  wanted  to  repay  her  husband  for  the 
want  of  her  consoling  companionship.  The  holy  Joseph 
answered  that  as  he  now  again  saw  Her,  and  again  en- 
joyed her  delightful  presence,  he  was  relieved  of  the  pain 
caused  by  her  absence.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days 
they  announced  the  day  of  their  departure. 

305.  Thereupon  the  princess  Mary  took  leave  of  the 
priest  Zacharias.  As  he  had  already  been  enlightened 
by  the    Lord    concerning    her    dignity,    he    addressed 

244 


THE    INCARNATION  245 

Her  with  the  greatest  reverence  as  the  living  sanctuary 
of  the  Divinity  and  humanity  of  the  eternal  Word.  "My 
Mistress,"  he  said,  "praise  and  bless  eternally  thy  Maker, 
who  in  his  infinite  mercy  has  chosen  Thee  among  all  his 
creatures  as  his  Mother,  as  the  sole  Keeper  of  all  his 
great  blessings  and  sacraments.  Be  mindful  of  me,  thy 
servant,  before  thy  Lord  and  God,  that  He  may  lead 
me  in  peace  through  this  exile  to  the  security  of  the 
eternal  peace  which  we  hope  for,  and  that  through  thee 
I  may  merit  the  vision  of  his  Divinity,  which  is  the 
glory  of  the  saints.  Remember  also,  O  Lady,  my  house 
and  family,  and  especially  my  Son  John,  and  pray  to  the 
Most  High  for  thy  people." 

306.  The  great  Lady  knelt  before  him  and  in  pro- 
found humility  asked  him  to  bless  Her.  This  Zacharias 
hesitated  to  do  and  instead  asked  Her  to  give  him  her 
blessing.  But  nothing  could  overcome  the  humility  of 
Her  who  was  the  Teacher  of  that  virtue  and  of  all  holi- 
ness; and  therefore  She  importuned  the  priest  for  his 
blessing  until  he  yielded  to  the  impulse  of  the  divine  light. 
In  the  words  of  holy  Scripture,  he  said  to  Her:  "The 
right  arm  of  the  almighty  and  true  God  assist  Thee 
always,  and  deliver  Thee  from  all  evil  (Ps.  120,  7). 
Possess  thou  the  grace  of  His  unfailing  protection,  and  be 
filled  with  the  dew  of  heaven  and  with  the  fruits  of 
the  earth,  and  let  Him  give  Thee  abundance  of  bread 
and  wine  (Gen.  27,  28)  ;  let  the  nations  serve  Thee  and 
let  the  generations  worship  Thee,  since  Thou  art  the 
tabernacle  of  God  (Eccl.  24,  12)  ;  be  Thou  the  Mistress 
of  thy  brethren,  and  let  the  sons  of  thy  mother  kneel  in 
thy  presence.  Those  that  praise  and  bless  Thee  shall 
be  honored  and  blessed;  and  those  that  bless  and  extol 
Thee  not  shall  be  cursed.     In  Thee  let  all  nations  know 


246  CITY   OF    GOD 

their  God   (Judith  13,  31),  and  through  Thee  let  the 
name  of  the  most  high  God  of  Jacob  be  glorified." 

307.  In  return  for  this  prophetic  blessing,  most  holy 
Mary  kissed  the  hand  of  the  priest  and  asked  him  to  for- 
give Her  the  faults  committed  in  his  house.  The  saintly 
old  man  was  much  moved  by  these  parting  words  of  the 
most  pure  and  amiable  of  creatures,  and  ever  thereafter 
bore  hidden  within  him  the  memory  of  the  mysteries 
revealed  to  him  concerning  the  most  holy  Mary.  Only 
once,  when  he  was  present  at  a  meeting  of  the  priests 
in  the  temple,  who  were  congratulating  him  on  account 
of  the  birth  of  his  son  and  the  restoration  of  his  speech, 
he  was  moved  by  the  excess  of  his  joy  and  he  answered 
them :  "I  believe  firmly  that  the  Most  High  has  visited 
us  and  has  already  sent  us  the  promised  Messias,  who 
will  redeem  his  people."  But  he  spoke  no  further  of 
what  he  really  knew  of  the  mystery.  The  holy  priest 
Simeon,  however,  who  was  present  and  heard  these 
words,  was  seized  with  great  joy  of  spirit  and  by  divine 
impulse  exclaimed:  "Let  not,  O  Lord  God  of  Israel, 
thy  servant  depart  from  this  valley  of  misery  before  he 
has  seen  thy  salvation  and  the  Redeemer  of  his  people." 
To  this  prayer  he  afterwards  alluded  when,  at  the  presen- 
tation of  infant  God  in  the  temple,  He  received  Him 
into  his  arms,  as  we  shall  see  later  on.  Until  that  event 
took  place  he  desired  more  and  more  ardently  to  see  the 
incarnate  Word. 

308.  Leaving  Zacharias  in  tears,  Mary  betook  Herself 
to  her  cousin  Elisabeth.  As  She  was  a  cousin  of  Mary, 
of  a  tender  heart,  and  as  She  had  enjoyed  so  many  days 
of  sweet  intercourse,  and  had  received  so  many  favors 
of  the  Mother  of  grace,  she  was  almost  overcome  with 
grief  at  the  mere  thought  of  now  losing  the  source 
whence  so  many  blessings  had  flown  and  were  yet  to 


THE   INCARNATION  247 

flow,  if  she  could  only  retain  it.  Hence,  when  the  time 
for  taking  leave  of  the  Mistress  of  heaven  and  earth 
finally  arrived  her  heart  was  torn  with  sorrow,  and  she 
could  say  only  a  few  words  amid  her  copious  tears  and 
sighs  revealing  her  inmost  soul.  The  serene  Queen,  be- 
ing superior  to  all  inordinate  movements  of  the  natural 
passions,  in  affable  modesty  spoke  to  Elisabeth :  "My 
beloved  cousin,  do  not  grieve  so  much  over  my  de- 
parture, since  the  charity  of  the  Most  High,  in  whom  I 
truly  love  thee,  knows  no  distance  of  time  or  place.  In 
Him  I  behold  thee,  and  I  keep  thee  in  my  mind;  and 
thou  also  wilt  find  me  in  that  same  presence.  Short  is 
the  time  of  our  bodily  separation,  since  all  the  days  of 
human  life  are  so  fleeting  (Job  14,  5),  and  if  we  gain 
the  victory  over  our  enemies  we  shall  very  soon  see  our- 
selves and  enjoy  ourselves  in  the  celestial  Jerusalem, 
where  there  is  no  sorrow,  no  weeping,  no  separation 
(Apoc.  21,  4).  In  the  meanwhile  thou  wilt  find  all 
blessings  in  the  Lord  and  also  me  thou  wilt  find  and 
possess  in  Him.  He  will  remain  in  thy  heart  and  con- 
sole thee."  Our  most  prudent  Queen  said  no  more  to 
allay  the  grief  of  saint  Elisabeth ;  instead  She  knelt  down 
at  her  feet  and  asked  her  blessing,  and  her  pardon  for 
what  might  have  been  disagreeable  in  her  intercourse 
with  her ;  nor  would  Mary  yield  to  the  protests  of  Elisa- 
beth until  her  petition  was  granted.  Elisabeth  then  in- 
sisted on  her  part  and  asked  the  blessing  of  the  heavenly 
Lady  in  return,  and  not  wishing  to  deny  her  this  con- 
solation, most  holy  Mary  complied. 

309.  The  Queen  visited  also  the  child  John,  received 
him  in  her  arms  and  bestowed  upon  him  many  myste- 
rious blessings.  The  wonderful  infant  by  divine  dispen- 
sation spoke  to  the  Virgin,  although  in  a  low  and  in- 
fantile voice:     "Thou  art  the  Mother  of  God  himself, 


248  CITY    OF    GOD 

the  Queen  of  all  creation,  the  Keeper  of  the  ineffable 
Treasure  of  heaven,  my  help  and  protection :  grant  me, 
thy  servant,  thy  blessing,  and  may  thy  intercession  and 
favor  never  fail  me."  Three  times  he  kissed  the  hand  of 
the  Queen  of  heaven;  likewise  he  adored  the  incarnate 
Word  in  her  virginal  Womb,  and  asked  Him  for  his 
benediction  and  grace.  The  infant  God  manifested  his 
pleasure  and  benevolence  toward  his  Precursor,  while  the 
most  happy  Mother  Mary  beheld  and  understood  all  that 
was  passing.  In  all  things  She  acted  with  the  plenitude 
of  divine  science,  venerating  all  these  mysteries  accord- 
ing to  their  proper  import;  for  She  responded  with  a 
magnanimous  heart  to  all  the  works  of  his  divine  wisdom 
(II  Mach.  2,  9). 

310.  The  whole  household  of  Zacharias  had  been  sanc- 
tified by  the  presence  of  most  holy  Mary  and  of  the 
incarnate  Word  in  her  womb;  all  its  inmates  had  been 
edified  by  her  example,  instructed  by  her  conversations 
and  teachings,  and  sweetly  affected  by  her  intercourse 
and  modest  behavior.  While  She  had  drawn  toward 
Herself  all  the  hearts  of  that  happy  family.  She  also 
merited  and  obtained  for  them  from  her  most  holy  Son 
the  plenitude  of  celestial  gifts.  Holy  Joseph  was  held 
in  high  veneration  by  Zacharias,  Elisabeth  and  John ;  for 
they  had  come  to  know  his  high  dignity  before  he  him- 
self was  yet  aware  of  it.  The  blessed  Patriarch,  happy 
in  his  Treasure,  the  full  value  of  which  as  yet  he  did  not 
know,  took  leave  of  all  and  departed  for  Nazareth :  what 
happened  on  the  way  I  will  narrate  in  the  following 
chapter.  But  before  they  began  their  journey  most  holy 
Mary,  on  bended  knees,  besought  saint  Joseph  to  bless 
Her,  as  She  was  accustomed  to  do  on  such  occasions,  and 
after  She  had  received  his  blessing,  they  betook  them- 
selves on  their  journey. 


THE   INCARNATION  249 

INSTRUCTION  BY  THE  MOST  HOLY  QUEEN  MARY. 

311.  My  daughter,  the  happy  souls  which  God  has" 
chosen  for  his  intimate  friendship  and  perfection  must 
keep  themselves  in  continual  readiness  and  peace,  in  order 
to  perform  all  that  his  Majesty  may  ordain  without  hesi- 
tation or  delay.  That  is  what  I  did  when  the  Most  High 
commanded  me  to  leave  the  beloved  retreat  of  my  house 
and  betake  myself  to  Elisabeth;  likewise,  when  he  or- 
dered me  to  return.  I  obeyed  in  all  these  things  with 
joyful  alacrity;  and  although  I  had  received  so  many 
benefits  from  Elisabeth  and  her  family  and  so  many 
tokens  of  love  and  friendship,  as  thou  hast  seen,  yet, 
knowing  the  will  of  the  Lord,  I  set  aside  all  obligation 
and  my  own  inclination  and  followed  them  only  so  far 
as  was  strictly  demanded  by  charity  and  compassion,  and 
in  so  far  as  the  promptest  obedience  to  the  divine  com- 
mand permitted. 

312.  My  dearest  daughter,  how  wilt  thou  not  hasten 
to  obtain  this  true  and  perfect  resignation  as  soon  as  thou 
knowest  its  vast  value!  How  pleasing  it  is  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Lord,  and  how  profitable  for  thy  soul!  Labor 
then  to  attain  it  in  imitation  of  me,  as  I  have  already 
so  often  invited  thee  and  urged  thee.  The  greatest  hin- 
drances toward  its  attainment  are  the  leanings  and  special 
likings  to  earthly  things;  for  these  make  the  soul  un- 
worthy of  the  caresses  of  the  Lord  and  of  knowing 
fully  his  will.  And  even  if  the  soul  knows  his  will,  the 
base  love  of  unworthy  things  will  keep  the  soul  from 
fulfilling  it;  for  on  account  of  its  inclinations,  it  will  be 
wanting  in  the  ready  and  joyful  obedience  required  by 
the  Lord.  Take  notice  of  this  danger,  my  daughter,  and 
do  not  allow  any  particular  affection  to  enter  into  thy 
heart,  for  I  wish  that  thou  be  well  versed  and  perfect  in 


250  CITY    OF  'GOD 

this  art  of  divine  love,  and  that  thy  obedience  be  that  of 
an  angel,  and  thy  love  that  of  a  seraphirti.  Thus  show 
thyself  in  all  thy  actions,  for  to  this  my  love  urges  thee, 
and  thus  art  thou  taught  by  the  knowledge  and  light 
imparted  to  thee. 

313.  I  do  not  say  that  thou  must  do  away  with  all 
sensible  feeling,  for  that  is  not  naturally  possible  to  the 
creature ;  but  whenever  thou  meetest  adverse  happenings, 
or  when  thou  art  deprived  of  what  is  useful,  necessary 
or  agreeable  thou  must  bear  it  with  joyful  resignation 
and  give  praise  to  the  Lord,  because  his  will  is  being 
fulfilled  in  thy  regard.  By  seeking  only  his  pleasure, 
and  considering  all  else  as  of  passing  moment,  thou  wilt 
gain  a  quick  and  easy  victory  over  thyself,  and  thou  wilt 
seek  all  occasions  to  humiliate  thyself  under  the  mighty 
hand  of  the  Lord  (I  Pet.  5,  6).  I  also  exhort  thee  to 
imitate  me  in  my  esteem  and  veneration  of  the  priests, 
and  that  thou  always  ask  their  blessing  before  speaking 
to  them  and  in  leaving  them.  Do  this  also  in  regard  to 
the  Most  High  before  beginning  any  work.  Toward  thy 
superiors  always  show  thyself  devoted  and  submissive. 
If  any  married  women  come  to  seek  thy  advice,  exhort 
them  to  be  obedient  to  their  husbands  (Tit.  5,  2),  peace- 
fully subjecting  themselves,  living  retired  in  their  houses 
and  carefully  fulfilling  their  obligations  toward  their 
families.  Tell  them  not  to  give  themselves  up  entirely 
to  their  occupations,  nor  to  lose  themselves  in  their  daily 
cares  on  pretext  of  necessity;  for  much  more  must  be 
trusted  to  the  goodness  and  liberality  of  God  than  to 
one's  own  immoderate  bustle  and  activity.  In  whatever 
happened  to  me  in  my  condition,  thou  wilt  find  true 
instruction  and  example;  and  my  whole  life  will  be  an 
example  of  perfection  for  the  guidance  of  souls,  and 
therefore  I  will  not  need  to  give  thee  further  direction. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
The  journey  oe  most  hoi^y  mary  erom  the  house 

OF  ZACHARIAS  to    her   home  in    NAZARETH. 

314.  Returning  from  the  town  of  Juda  to  Nazareth 
the  most  holy  Mary,  the  hving  tabernacle  of  God,  pur- 
sued her  way  through  the  mountains  of  Judea  in  the 
company  of  her  most  faithful  spouse  saint  Joseph.  Al- 
though the  Evangelists  do  not  make  mention  of  any  haste 
in  this  journey  homeward,  such  as  is  recorded  by  saint 
Luke  and  occasioned  by  the  special  mystery  connected 
with  it,  yet  the  great  Princess  made  also  this  return 
journey  with  great  expediency,  on  account  of  the  events 
which  awaited  Her  at  home.  All  the  journeys  of  this 
heavenly  Lady  were  a  mystical  counterpart  of  her  spir- 
itual and  interior  advances.  For  She  was  the  true 
tabernacle  of  the  Lord,  which  was  to  find  no  definite 
resting-place  in  this  mortal  pilgrimage  (I  Par.  17,  5)  ; 
on  the  contrary,  progressing  daily  from  one  stage  to 
another  and  to  higher  condition  of  wisdom  and  grace, 
She  continually  pushed  forward  on  her  pilgrimage  to  the 
promised  land  (Numb.  7,  89) ;  and  She  bore  continually 
with  Her  on  her  journey  the  true  propitiatory,  whence 
She  drew  ceaseless  increase  of  her  gifts  and  acquired  for 
us  eternal  salvation. 

315.  The  great  Queen  and  saint  Joseph  again  consumed 
four  days  in  their  return  journey,  as  they  had  done  on 
their  coming.  On  the  way  they  maintained  the  same 
divine  conversations,  and  they  experienced  events  similar 
to  those  already  mentioned  in  chapter  sixteenth.     In  the 

251 


252  CITY    OF    GOD 

ordinary  practices  of  humility,  in  which  they  vied  with 
each  other,  our  Queen  always  came  out  victorious,  except 
when  saint  Joseph  called  obedience  to  his  aid;  because 
She  considered  obedience  the  greater  humility.  As  She 
was  already  in  her  third  month  of  pregnancy.  She  was 
more  attentive  and  careful  in  her  journey;  not  that  her 
pregnancy  caused  her  any  difficulties,  for  it  was  on  the 
contrary  a  most  sweet  alleviation  of  any  hardships.  But 
this  careful  and  prudent  Mother  was  filled  with  the  con- 
sciousness of  her  Treasure;  for  She  beheld  day  by  day 
the  natural  growth  of  the  body  of  her  most  holy  Son  in 
her  virginal  womb.  Notwithstanding  the  ease  and  light- 
ness of  her  pregnancy,  She  nevertheless  was  subject  to 
the  exertion  and  the  fatigue  of  the  journey;  for  the  sov- 
ereign Lady  made  no  use  of  her  privileges  to  diminish 
her  sufferings,  but  She  gave  free  scope  to  the  fatigues 
and  inconveniences  of  travel  in  order  to  be  in  all  things 
our  teacher  and  the  faithful  image  of  her  most  holy  Son. 
316.  As  the  divine  Fruit  of  her  womb  was  naturally 
of  the  most  perfect  growth,  and  as  She  was  Herself  of 
the  most  comely  and  well-proportioned  shape  without 
any  defect  whatever,  it  was  natural  that  her  condition 
should  become  noticeable,  and  She  knew  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  conceal  it  much  longer  from  her  hus- 
band. Already  She  began  to  look  upon  him  with  greater 
tenderness  and  compassion  in  view  of  the  shock  which 
his  love  would  feel  on  noticing  her  condition.  Gladly 
would  She  have  turned  it  aside  if  She  had  known  that 
such  was  the  will  of  God.  But  the  Lord  gave  Her  no 
intimation  of  his  will  in  these  anxious  thoughts ;  for  He 
had  ordained  that  the  event  should  come  about  in  such  a 
way  as  to  increase  his  glory  and  the  merits  both  of  saint 
Joseph  and  of  the  Virgin  Mother.  Nevertheless  the 
great  Lady  besought  his  Majesty  to  fill  the  heart  of  her 


THE   INCARNATION  253 

spouse  with  patience  and  wisdom,  and  to  assist  him  with 
grace,  that  he  might  act  in  this  conjuncture  according  to 
the  divine  pleasure.  For  She  was  convinced  that  it 
would  occasion  him  great  grief  to  see  her  pregnant. 

317.  In  the  course  of  the  journey  the  Mistress  of  the 
world  performed  some  wonderful  works,  although  always 
in  secret.  It  happened  that  when  they  arrived  at  a  place 
not  far  from  Jerusalem  some  people  from  another  town 
came  to  the  same  hostelry.  They  brought  with  them  a 
young  woman  seeking  a  cure  for  her  sickness  in  the  larger 
and  more  populous  city.  She  was  known  to  be  very  sick, 
but  no  one  knew  what  was  her  sickness  or  the  cause  of 
it.  This  woman  had  lived  a  very  virtuous  life.  On  this 
account  the  enemy,  who  knew  her  character  and  her  ad- 
vanced virtues,  began  to  direct  his  attacks  especially 
against  her,  as  he  always  does  against  the  friends  of  God, 
since  he  considers  them  his  own  enemies.  He  caused 
her  to  commit  some  sins  and,  in  order  to  force  her  from 
one  abyss  into  another,  he  tempted  her  with  despondent 
thoughts  and  disorderly  grief  at  her  fall.  Having  thus 
upset  her  judgment  this  dragon  found  entrance  into 
her  body,  and  now  he,  with  many  other  demons,  had  pos- 
session of  her.  I  have  already  said  in  the  first  part  that 
the  infernal  dragon,  when  he  saw  in  heaven  the  woman 
clothed  with  the  sun  (Apoc.  12,  1),  conceived  a  great 
wrath  against  all  virtuous  women.  Of  her  progeny  are 
all  those  that  follow  Mary,  as  may  be  judged  from  that 
same  chapter  of  the  Apocalypse.  On  this  account  he 
exerted  all  his  arrogance  and  tyranny  in  the  possession 
of  the  body  and  soul  of  this  afflicted  woman. 

318.  The  heavenly  Princess  saw  her  in  the  tavern  and 
knew  of  her  affliction,  which  was  unknown  to  the  others. 
Moved  by  her  motherly  pity,  She  begged  her  most  holy 
Son  to  give  health  of  body  and  soul  to  the  unfortunate 

2-18 


254  CITY   OF   GOD 

woman.  Perceiving  that  the  divine  will  was  inclined  to 
mercy.  She  used  her  power  as  Queen  and  commanded  the 
demons  instantly  to  leave  this  creature  never  to  return. 
Moreover,  She  banished  them  to  the  infernal  depths,  their 
lawful  and  appropriate  dwelling.  This  command  of  our 
great  Queen  and  Lady  was  not  given  vocally,  but  men- 
tally, in  such  a  way  as  to  be  perceptible  to  the  impure 
spirits.  It  was  so  powerful  that  Lucifer  and  his  com- 
panions hastened  to  leave  that  body  and  hurl  themselves 
into  the  infernal  darkness.  The  fortunate  woman  was 
freed  and  seized  with  wonder  at  the  unhoped-for  de- 
livery; and  in  her  inmost  heart  she  was  drawn  toward 
the  most  pure  and  holy  Lady.  She  looked  upon  Her 
with  an  especial  veneration  and  love,  thereby  deserving 
two  other  favors.  One  was  that  she  was  filled  with  a 
most  sincere  sorrow  for  her  sins ;  the  other,  that  the  evil 
effects  or  traces  of  the  demoniacal  possession  ■  under 
which  she  had  suffered  were  effaced.  She  was  aware  that 
the  mysterious  Stranger,  whom  she  had  so  fortunately 
met  on  her  way  was  concerned  in  the  heavenly  blessing. 
She  therefore  spoke  to  Her,  and  our  Queen  answered 
with  words  that  went  straight  to  the  heart ;  She  exhorted 
her  to  perseverance  and  also  merited  it  for  her  during 
the  rest  of  her  life.  Her  companions  likewise  recognized 
the  miracle;  but  they  attributed  it  to  their  promise  of 
bringing  her  to  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  and  of  offering 
some  gift  for  her.  This  promise  they  fulfilled,  praising 
God,  but  remaining  ignorant  of  the  source  of  their  good 
fortune. 

319.  Vast  and  furious  was  the  wrath  of  Lucifer  when 
he  found  himself  and  his  demons  dispossessed  and  cast 
out  from  their  abode  by  the  mere  word  of  this  woman 
Mary.  Full  of  wrathful  astonishment,  he  exclaimed: 
"Who  is  this  weak  Woman,  that  commands  us  and  op- 


THE   INCARNATION  255 

presses  us  with  so  much  power?  What  new  surprise  is 
this,  and  how  can  my  pride  stand  it?  We  must  hold  a 
council  and  see  how  we  can  unite  to  destroy  Her."  Since 
I  will  say  more  of  their  doings  in  the  next  chapter,  I 
leave  them  to  their  wrathful  designs.  Our  pilgrims  in 
the  meanwhile  came  to  another  tavern,  the  master  of 
which  was  a  man  of  bad  habits  and  character;  and  as  a 
beginning  of  his  happiness,  God  ordained  that  he  should 
receive  most  holy  Mary  and  Joseph  with  a  good  will  and 
marks  of  kindness.  He  showed  them  more  courtesy  and 
good  services  than  he  was  accustomed  to  show  to  others. 
In  order  to  return  his  hospitality  with  still  greater  kind- 
ness the  great  Queen,  who  knew  the  sad  state  of  his 
interior,  prayed  for  him,  justifying  his  soul  and  causing 
him  to  change  his  life.  Her  prayers  had  also  the  effect 
of  adding  to  his  worldly  possession,  for  on  account  of 
the  small  favor  done  to  his  heavenly  guests,  God  in- 
creased them  from  that  time  on.  Many  more  miracles 
the  Mother  of  grace  wrought  in  this  journey,  for  all  her 
doings  were  divine  (Cant.  4,  13),  and  all  who  were  of 
proper  disposition  were  sanctified  by  meeting  Her.  They 
finished  their  journey  at  Nazareth,  where  the  Princess 
of  heaven  set  her  house  in  order  and  cleaned  it  with  the 
assistance  of  her  holy  angels,  for  they  vied  with  Her  in 
humility  and  were  anxious  to  serve  and  honor  Her  by 
taking  part  in  these  humble  occupations.  The  holy 
Joseph  applied  himself  to  his  ordinary  daily  work,  pro- 
viding for  the  sustenance  of  the  Queen ;  and  his  trusting 
heart  was  not  deceived  in  Her  (Prov.  31,  11).  She 
girded  Herself  with  new  strength  for  the  mysteries 
which  She  awaited,  and  She  put  forth  her  hands  to 
valiant  deeds,  enjoying  in  her  soul  the  undimmed  vision 
of  the  Treasure  of  her  womb  and,  connected  with  it, 


256  CITY    OF    GOD 

incomparable  delights  and  blessings.  Thus  She  con- 
tinued to  gain  vast  merits  and  made  Herself  unspeak- 
ably pleasing  to  God. 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH  THE  QUEEN  OE  HEAVEN   GAVE  ME. 

320.  My  daughter,  the  faithful  souls  and  children  of 
the  Church,  who  know  God,  must  make  no  distinction  of 
time,  place  or  occasions  in  the  practice  of  faith  and  the 
other  virtues  connected  with  it.  For  God  is  present  in 
all  things  and  fills  them  with  his  infinite  being  (Jer.  23, 
24),  and  in  all  places  and  circumstances  faith  will  enable 
them  to  see  and  adore  Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth 
(John  4,  22).  Just  as  preservation  follows  upon  cre- 
ation, and  as  breathing  follows  upon  life,  and  just  as 
there  is  no  intermission  in  the  breathing,  nourishment 
and  growth  of  man  until  the  end  is  reached:  so  the 
rational  creature,  after  having  been  regenerated  by  faith 
of  grace,  must  never  interrupt  the  course  of  the  spiritual 
life,  continually  pursuing  works  of  life  by  faith,  hope  and 
charity  in  all  places  and  at  all  time  (James  2,  26).  On 
account  of  their  forgetfulness  and  carelessness,  the  chil- 
dren of  men,  and  especially  the  members  of  the  Church, 
possess  the  life  of  faith  as  if  they  had  lost  it,  allowing  it 
to  die  for  want  of  charity.  These  are  the  ones  who 
have  received  in  vain  this  their  new  soul,  as  David  says, 
because  they  neglect  it  as  if  they  had  never  obtained  it 
(Psalm  23,  4). 

321.  I  desire,  my  dearest,  that  thy  spiritual  life  be  just 
as  continual  as  thy  natural  life.  Thou  must  continue  to 
lead  a  life  such  as  is  required  by  the  grace  and  gifts  of 
the  Most  High,  believing  and  hoping  in  the  Lord,  loving, 
praising  and  adoring  Him  in  spirit  and  in  tnith,   no 


THE   INCARNATION  257 

matter  what  changes  there  may  be  in  time,  occupation 
or  place,  He  is  in  all  things  and  He  wishes  to  be  loved 
and  served  by  all  rational  creatures.  I  therefore  charge 
thee  that  whenever  souls  come  to  thee  full  of  this  forget- 
fulness  of  their  faults,  and  harassed  by  the  demons,  thou 
pray  for  them  with  lively  faith  and  confidence.  If  the 
Lord  does  not  always  fulfill  what  thou  desirest  and  what 
they  ask.  He  will  follow  his  own  secret  counsel,  and  thou 
wilt  have  pleased  Him  by  having  acted  as  a  true  spouse 
and  daughter.  If  thou  faithfully  foUowest  my  instruc- 
tions, I  assure  thee  that  He  will  confer  upon  thee  many 
special  privileges  for  the  benefit  of  souls.  Consider  what 
I  did  at  the  sight  of  souls  displeasing  to  the  Lord,  and 
how  zealously  I  worked  for  all,  and  for  some  in  par- 
ticular. To  imitate  and  oblige  me,  do  thou  likewise  work 
and  pray  for  those  whose  interior  becomes  known  to  thee 
through  the  Lord  or  through  other  means;  admonish 
them  with  prudence,  humility  and  resignation;  for  the 
Almighty  does  not  desire  thee  to  proceed  noisily,  nor 
that  the  results  of  thy  labors  be  always  manifest,  but  that 
they  remain  hidden.  In  this  He  conforms  Himself  to 
thy  naturally  retiring  disposition  and  to  thy  desires,  and 
He  seeks  what  is  most  secure  for  thee.  And,  although 
thou  must  pray  for  all  souls,  yet  thou  must  pray  more 
earnestly  for  those  whom  the  divine  will  points  out  to 
thee. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

The  demons  hold  a  meeting  in  hele  in  order  to 
take  counsel  against  most  hoey  mary. 

322.  At  the  instant  of  the  incarnation  of  the  Word,  as 
I  said  in  chapter  eleventh  (140),  Lucifer  and  all  hell 
felt  the  power  of  the  right  arm  of  the  Almighty  which 
hurled  them  to  the  deepest  of  the  infernal  caverns. 
There  they  remained  overwhelmed  for  some  days,  until 
the  Lord  in  his  admirable  providence  allowed  them  to 
come  forth  from  this  captivity,  the  cause  of  which  they 
did  not  know.  The  great  dragon  then  arose  and  scoured 
the  earth,  spying  everywhere  for  new  developments  to 
which  he  might  attribute  the  rout  which  he  and  all  his 
satellites  had  experienced.  This  search  the  proud  prince 
of  darkness  would  not  trust  entirely  to  his  companions, 
but  he  himself  issued  forth  in  their  company  to  course 
about  upon  the  globe,  seeking  with  the  most  cunning 
malice  to  find  what  he  wanted.  He  spent  in  this  search 
three  months  and  finally  returned  to  hell  just  as  ignorant 
of  the  true  cause  as  when  he  had  come  forth.  For  the 
great  mysteries  of  heaven  were  not  intelligible  to  him 
at  that  time,  because  the  darkness  of  his  malice  did  not 
permit  him  either  to  rejoice  in  their  wonderful  effects  or 
to  glorify  and  bless  their  Author.  This  was  reserved  to 
us  men,  for  whom  Redemption  was  inaugurated. 

323.  The  enemy  of  God  was  very  much  confused  and 
aggrieved,  without  knowing  how  to  account  for  it.  In 
order  to  discuss  the  matter,  he  called  together  all  the 
infernal  hosts,  without  excusing  or  permitting  a  single 

258 


THE    INCARNATION  259 

one  of  the  demons  to  be  absent.  In  this  convention, 
from  a  place  of  vantage,  he  addressed  the  meeting  in  this 
manner :  "You  well  know,  my  subjects,  with  what  great 
anxiety  I,  ever  since  God  has  cast  us  out  from  his  dwell- 
ing and  deprived  us  of  our  might,  have  sought  to  avenge 
myself  and  tried  to  destroy  the  power  of  the  Almighty. 
Although  I  cannot  do  anything  to  injure  Him,  I  have 
spared  no  time  or  exertion  in  extending  my  dominion 
over  men  whom  He  loves.  By  my  own  strength  I  have 
peopled  my  reign  (Job  41,  25)  and  many  nations  and 
tribes  obey  and  follow  me  (Luke  4,  6).  Day  by  day  I 
draw  toward  myself  innumerable  souls,  depriving  them 
of  the  knowledge  and  possession  of  God,  in  order  that 
they  may  not  enjoy  the  happiness  which  we  have  lost. 
I  ensnare  them  to  these  eternal  pains  which  we  suffer, 
since  they  will  follow  my  teachings  and  guidance:  on 
them  I  will  wreak  the  vengeance  which  I  have  conceived 
against  their  Creator.  But  all  this  appears  of  small  con- 
sequence to  me  in  the  face  of  the  sudden  overthrow  which 
we  have  experienced ;  for  an  attack  so  powerful  and 
ruinous  has  not  happened  to  us  since  we  were  hurled  from 
heaven.  I  must  acknowledge  that  as  well  your  as  my 
power  has  met  a  serious  shock.  This  new  and  extraor- 
dinary defeat  must  have  some  new  cause,  and  our  weak- 
ness, I  fear,  is  the  beginning  of  our  ruin." 

324.  "This  matter  will  require  renewed  diligence,  for 
my  fury  is  unquenchable  and  my  vengeance  remains  insa- 
tiable. I  have  scoured  the  whole  earth,  observed  all  its 
inhabitants  with  great  care,  and  yet  I  have  found  nothing 
notable.  I  have  watched  and  persecuted  all  the  virtuous 
and  perfect  women  who  are  of  the  race  of  Her  whom 
we  saw  in  heaven,  and  whom  I  expected  to  meet  among 
them.  But  I  find  no  sign  of  her  having  as  yet  been 
born ;  for  I  do  not  find  one  who  possesses  the  marks  of 


260  CITY    OF    GOD 

Her  who  is  to  be  the  Mother  of  the  Messias.  A  Maiden 
whom  I  feared  on  account  of  her  great  virtues,  and 
whom  I  persecuted  in  the  temple,  is  already  married; 
and  therefore  She  can  not  be  the  one  we  look  for,  since 
Isaiah  says  She  is  to  be  a  Virgin  (Is.  7,  14).  Never- 
theless I  fear  and  detest  this  Maiden,  since  such  a  vir- 
tuous Woman  might  give  birth  to  the  Mother  of  the 
Messias  or  to  some  great  prophet.  To  this  hour  I  have 
not  been  able  to  overcome  Her  in  anything,  and  of  Her 
life  I  understand  less  than  of  that  of  others.  She  has 
always  valiantly  resisted  me,  as  She  eludes  my  memory; 
or  remembering  Her,  I  cannot  approach  Her.  I  have 
not  yet  been  able  to  decide  whether  these  difficulties  in 
regard  to  Her  are  miraculous,  or  arise  from  5ny  forget- 
fulness,  or  whether  they  are  simply  the  consequences  of 
the  contempt  in  which  I  hold  such  an  insignificant 
Maiden.  But  I  will  consider  this  matter;  for  recently 
we  could  not  resist  the  power  of  her  command,  by  which 
we  were  dispossessed  of  our  right  to  dwell  in  those  per- 
sons from  whom  She  drove  us.  This  certainly  requires 
satisfaction,  and  She  merits  my  wrath  solely  on  account 
of  what  She  has  shown  Herself  to  be  on  these  occasions. 
I  resolve  to  persecute  Her  and  overcome  Her,  and  do 
you  yourselves  assist  me  in  this  enterprise  with  all  your 
strength  and  malice;  and  those  who  will  distinguish 
themselves  in  this  conquest  shall  receive  great  rewards 
at  my  hands." 

325.  The  whole  infernal  rabble,  which  had  listened 
attentively  to  Lucifer,  praised  and  approved  his  inten- 
tions, and  they  told  him  not  to  worry  over  this  Woman, 
for  She  would  easily  be  overcome  and  he  should  not  be 
without  his  triumphs  over  Her,  since  his  power  was  so 
great  and  ruled  all  the  world  (John  14,  30).  Then  they 
set  about  discussing  the  means  of  entrapping  most  holy 


THE    INCARNATION  261 

Mary,  supposing  Her  to  be  a  woman  of  distinguished 
and  remarkable  virtue  and  holiness,  but  not  the  Mother 
of  the  incarnate  Word ;  for  at  that  time,  as  I  have  said, 
the  demons  were  ignorant  of  the  hidden  sacrament  con- 
nected with  Her.  Accordingly  Lucifer  and  his  com- 
panions in  malice  immediately  entered  upon  a  mighty 
conflict  with  the  heavenly  Princess,  thus  making  it  pos- 
sible for  Her  to  crush  the  head  of  the  infernal  dragon 
many  times  (Gen.  3,  15).  Yet,  though  this  was  a 
great  battle,  and  one  of  the  most  remarkable  conflicts  of 
her  life.  She  fought  another  one  later  on  after  the 
Ascension  of  her  most  holy  Son  into  heaven.  Of  this  I 
will  speak  in  the  third  part  of  this  history.  It  was  very 
remarkable,  because  Lucifer  at  that  time  already  knew 
Her  as  the  Mother  of  God.  Saint  John  speaks  of  it  in 
the  twelfth  chapter  of  the  Apocalypse,  as  I  will  explain 
in  its  place. 

326.  In  dispensing  the  mysteries  of  the  Incarnation  the 
providence  of  the  Most  High  was  most  admirable,  and 
so  it  is  even  yet  in  the  government  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  There  is  no  doubt  that  it  is  befitting  the  strbng 
and  sweet  providence  of  God  to  hide  many  things  from 
the  demons,  which  are  better  unknown  to  them ;  as  well 
because  they  are  unworthy  of  knowing  the  sacred  mys- 
teries (for  the  reason  given  above  in  number  318),  as 
also  because  the  divine  power  becomes  more  manifest  in 
keeping  the  demons  in  subjection.  But  it  is  especially 
necessary  that  they  remain  in  ignorance  in  order  that 
the  works  of  God  in  the  Church  and  his  sacraments  may 
take  their  course  in  greater  peace ;  also  in  order  that  the 
unmeasured  wrath  of  the  demons  may  be  more  effectively 
curbed  by  not  allowing  them  to  proceed  according  to  their 
malice.  Although  the  Almighty  could  always  repress 
and  restrain  the  devils  by  force,  yet  He  proceeds  in  this 


262  CITY   OF   GOD 

matter  according  to  what  is  most  appropriate  to  his  infi- 
nite goodness.  On  this  account  the  Lord  concealed  from 
these  enemies  the  dignity  of  the  most  holy  Mary  and  the 
wonderful  manner  of  her  pregnancy,  as  well  as  her 
virginal  integrity  before  and  after  the  birth ;  and  He  con- 
cealed it  still  more  effectively  by  giving  her  a  husband. 
Likewise  they  were  uncertain  of  the  Divinity  of  Christ 
our  Lord  until  the  moment  of  his  Death ;  only  then  they 
saw  that  they  had  been  deceived  and  misled  in  regcird  to 
many  mysteries  of  the  Redemption.  Instead  of  inciting 
the  Jews  to  inflict  upon  Him  the  most  cruel  death,  they 
would  have  sought  to  prevent  it,  and  they  would  have 
tried  to  retard  our  Redemption  by  making  known  to  the 
world  that  Christ  is  the  true  God.  Therefore,  when 
saint  Peter  confessed  Him  as  such,  Christ  forbade  him 
and  the  rest  of  the  Apostles  to  make  it  known  to  any- 
body (Matth.  16,  20).  Although,  on  account  of  the 
miracles  He  wrought  and  the  exorcisms  which  He  per- 
formed (Luke  8,  28),  they  almost  began  to  suspect  Him 
to  be  the  Messias,  and  called  Him  Son  of  God;  yet  his 
Majesty  would  not  allow  them  to  publish  it  about.  Nor 
did  they  call  Him  so  with  certain  conviction.  For  their 
suspicions  subsided  when  they  saw  our  Lord  despised  and 
fatigued :  they  could  never  penetrate  the  mystery  of  the 
Savior's  humility  and  their  inflated  pride  kept  them  in 
darkness. 

327.  Since  Lucifer  then  did  not  know  the  dignity 
of  Mary  the  Mother  of  God  at  the  time  of  this  persecu- 
tion, fierce  as  it  was,  it  was  not  so  terrible  as  the  one  She 
suffered  later  on,  when  He  knew  who  She  was.  If  in 
this  present  occasion  he  had  known  that  She  was  the 
One  whom  he  had  seen  in  heaven  clothed  with  the  sun 
and  (Apoc.  12,  1)  that  She  was  to  crush  his  head 
(Gen.  3,  15),  he  would  have  been  lashed  into  devouring 


THE   INCARNATION  263 

fury  and  consumed  in  fiery  wrath.  If  they  were  so 
fearfully  enraged  at  the  mere  thought  of  her  sanctity  and 
perfection,  it  is  certain,  that,  had  they  known  her  great- 
ness, they  would,  as  far  as  would  be  allowed  them,  have 
disturbed  the  whole  universe,  in  order  to  make  an  end  of 
Her.  However,  since  they  on  the  one  hand  were  igno- 
rant of  the  mysteries  of  the  heavenly  Lady  and  other 
hand  felt  the  effects  of  her  extreme  virtue  and  sanctity," 
they  were  on  this  occasion  thrown  into  confusion  and 
doubt,  asking  each  other:  who  this  Woman  could  be, 
against  whom  they  saw  their  power  dwindle  into  insig- 
nificance? And  whether  perhaps  She  was  not  the  one 
who  was  to  hold  first  place  among  creatures  ? 

328.  Others  judged  that  She  could  not  possibly  be  the 
Mother  of  the  Messias,  for  whom  men  were  waiting; 
for  besides  having  a  husband,  She  with  her  husband 
belonged  to  the  poorest,  humblest,  and  the  most  insig- 
nificant people  in  this  world :  they  had  wrought  no  public 
miracles  or  prodigies,  nor  had  they  attracted  the  esteem 
or  reverence  of  any  of  their  fellowmen.  As  Lucifer  and 
his  associates  are  so  proud,  they  could  not  persuade 
themselves  that  such  extreme  humility  and  self-debase- 
ment can  consort  with  the  dignity  of  Mother  of  God. 
Lucifer  thought  that  God  in  his  power  would  not  choose 
for  Himself  what  the  devil  had  considered  unworthy  of 
his  own  dignity,  which  he  knew  was  beneath  that  of  the 
Almighty.  In  short,  he  was  deceived  by  his  own  arro- 
gance and  giddy  pride,  for  these  are  the  vices  which  are 
most  apt  to  darken  the  intellect  and  to  drag  the  will  to 
ruin.  On  this  account  Solomon  says,  that  their  own 
malice  has  made  them  blind  (Sap.  2,  21),  in  order  that 
they  might  not  know  that  the  eternal  Word  was  to 
make  use  of  such  means  in  order  to  destroy  the  arro- 
gance and  haughtiness  of  the  dragon.     For  his  thoughts 


264  CITY    OF    GOD 

were  distant  from  those  of  the  Almighty  farther  than 
the  earth  is  distant  from  heaven  (Is.  55,  9).  He 
thought  that  God  would  come  from  heaven  into  the 
world  with  great  show  of  strength  and  opposition,  humil- 
iating by  his  power  the  proud  princes  and  monarchs, 
which  the  demon  had  filled  with  his  own  arrogance ;  and 
so  well  had  he  succeeded,  that  many,  who  reigned  before 
the  time  of  Christ,  were  inflated  with  such  pride  and  pre- 
sumption, as  to  have  lost  their  common  sense  and  to 
have  forgotten  that  they  were  mortal  and  earthly.  Lucifer 
judged  of  all  these  things  according  to  his  own  vanity 
and  according  to  his  own  method  of  proceeding  against 
the  works  of  the  Lord. 

329.  But  the  infinite  Wisdom  took  measures  beyond 
all  the  calculations  of  Lucifer:  for  He  came  to  conquer 
him  not  only  by  his  Omnipotence,  but  by  humility,  meek- 
ness, obedience  and  poverty,  which  are  the  weapons  of 
his  warfare  (II  Cor.  10,  4)  ;  far  from  Him  are  the 
empty  show  and  vanity  maintained  by  the  riches  of  the 
world.  He  came  disguised  and  hidden  in  the  outward 
appearance  of  lowliness;  He  chose  a  poor  Mother.  All 
that  the  world  values.  He  came  to  despise,  teaching  the 
true  science  of  life  in  word  and  example.  Thus  the 
devil  found  himself  deceived  and  overcome  by  the  very 
things  that  were  most  repugnant  and  unbearable  to  him. 

330.  In  ignorance  of  all  these  mysteries  Lucifer  spent 
some  days  in  spying  out  and  reconnoitering  the  natural 
condition  of  most  holy  Mary,  her  character,  temperament, 
inclinations,  the  tranquillity,  evenness  and  considerateness 
of  her  conduct;  but  the  enemy  could  discover  no  flaw. 
Seeing  the  perfection  and  sweetness  of  all  that  concerned 
Her,  and  that  She  was  like  an  impregnable  wall,  he  re- 
turned to  his  demons  and  laid  before  them  the  great 
difficulty  of  tempting  Her.    All  of  them  projected  mighty 


THE   INCARNATION  265 

plans  of  attack,  encouraging  each  other  in  trying  to  solve 
the  difficulties.  Of  the  execution  of  these  designs,  of  the 
glorious  triumphs  of  the  heavenly  Princess  over  all  her 
enemies,  and  of  the  foiling  of  all  their  damned  and  ma- 
licious counsels,  I  will  speak  in  the  following  chapter. 

INSTRUCTION  VOUCHSAFED  ME  BY  THE  QUEEN  OF 
HEAVEN,    THE    MOST    HOLY    MARY, 

331.  My  daughter,  I  wish  that  thou  be  very  cautious 
and  watchful  in  regard  to  the  ignorance  and  darkness, 
by  which  the  demon  commonly  ensnares  mortals  and 
makes  them  forget  their  eternal  salvation  and  the  con- 
tinual danger  of  its  loss  through  his  persecutions.  Men 
are  lost  in  forgetful  rest  and  sleep,  as  if  there  were  no 
vigilant  and  powerful  enemies.  This  dreadful  careless- 
ness arises  from  two  causes:  on  the  one  hand  men  are 
so  taken  up  with  their  earthly  and  sensible  being 
(I  Cor.  2,  14),  that  they  do  not  feel  any  other  evils  ex- 
cept those  concerning  the  animal  nature  in  them;  all 
that  is  interior  is  harmless  in  their  estimation.  On  the 
other  hand,  since  the  princes  of  darkness  are  invisible  and 
unperceived  by  any  of  the  senses  (Ephes,  6,  12)  and 
since  carnal  men  neither  touch,  nor  feel,  nor  see  them, 
they  forget  the  fear  of  them.  Yet  for  this  very  reason 
they  ought  to  be  more  attentive  and  careful,  since  invis- 
ible enemies  are  more  cunning  and  adroit  in  injuring  us 
by  their  treachery.  So  much  the  more  certain  is  the 
danger,  the  more  concealed  it  is,  and  so  much  the  more 
deadly  are  the  wounds,  the  less  they  are  felt  and  recog- 
nized, 

332.  Listen,  my  daughter,  to  most  important  truths 
concerning  eternal  life.  Attend  to  my  counsels,  follow 
my  instructions  and  receive  my  warnings;  for  if  thou 


266  CITY   OF   GOD 

pass  them  by  unheeded,  I  will  cease  to  speak  to  thee. 
Hear  what  thou  hast  not  until  now  known  of  the  dis- 
position of  these  enemies.  I  wish  to  make  known  to  thee 
that  no  intellect,  nor  any  tongue  of  man  or  angels  can 
describe  the  wrath  and  fury  which  Lucifer  and  his 
demons  entertain  against  mortals  just  because  they  are 
images  of  God  and  because  they  are  capable  of  enjoying 
Him  for  all  eternity.  The  Lord  alone  can  comprehend 
the  wicked  malice  of  these  proud  and  rebellious  spirits 
against  his  holy  name  and  against  his  worship.  If  these 
foes  were  not  restrained  by  his  almighty  arm  they  would 
in  one  moment  destroy  the  world;  they  would  like  fam- 
ishing lions,  like  wild  beasts  and  fierce  dragons,  despatch 
all  mankind  and  tear  them  to  pieces.  Now  however 
the  most  kind  Father  of  all  mercies  wards  off  and  curbs 
their  wrath  and  He  bears  his  little  children  in  his  arms 
in  order  that  they  may  not  fall  a  prey  to  these  hellish 
wolves. 

333.  Consider  then,  as  seriously  as  thou  canst, 
whether  anything  deserves  greater  pity,  than  to  see  so 
many  men  misled  into  danger  and  made  forgetful  of  it; 
how  some  of  them  cast  themselves  into  it  on  account  of 
their  lightheartedness,  some  of  them  for  trivial  reasons, 
others  for  a  short  and  instantaneous  pleasure,  others 
through  negligence,  and  yet  others  on  account  of  their  in- 
ordinate appetites,  tearing  themselves  away  from  the 
places  of  refuge,  in  which  the  Almighty  has  placed  them, 
to  fall  into  the  hands  of  such  cruel  and  fiirious  enemies; 
and  not  only  to  feel  their  fury  for  an  hour,  a  day,  a  month, 
or  a  year,  but  to  suffer  indescribable  and  unmeasured  tor- 
ments for  all  eternity.  Thou  shouldst  be  filled  with  fear 
and  wonder,  my  daughter,  to  see  such  horrible  and  dread- 
ful foolishness  among  the  impenitent  mortals  and  to  see 
even  the  faithful,  who  have  come  to  know  and  confess 


THE   INCARNATION  267 

all  this  by  faith,  so  far  lose  their  understanding  and  allow 
themselves  to  be  so  insanely  blinded  by  the  devil  that 
they  neither  regard  nor  avoid  this  danger, 

334.  In  order  that  thou  mayest  fear  it  and  preserve 
thyself  the  better,  remember  that  this  dragon  knows  thee 
and  lurks  about  thee  ever  since  the  hour  of  thy  creation 
and  entrance  into  this  world.  Night  and  day  he  rest- 
lessly prowls  about  seeking  some  chance  of  capturing 
thee  as  a  prize.  He  observes  thy  natural  inclinations 
and  also  the  gifts  of  the  Lord,  in  order  to  combat  thee 
with  thy  own  weapons.  He  charges  other  demons  with 
thy  ruin  and  promises  reward  to  those  that  are  more 
diligent  in  securing  it.  They  weigh  thy  actions  carefully, 
watch  thy  footsteps,  and  work  zealously  to  lay  snares  for 
thee  in  all  thy  undertakings.  I  desire  thee  to  meditate 
on  these  truths  in  the  Lord,  who  will  show  thee  whither 
they  lead;  compare  them  afterwards  with  thy  own  ex- 
perience and  thou  wilt  understand,  whether  thou  hast 
any  occasion  for  sleep  in  the  midst  for  such  dangers. 
Although  this  watchfulness  is  important  for  all  the 
woman-born,  it  is  more  necessary  to  thee  than  to  others 
for  especial  reasons:  and  if  I  do  not  mention  them  all 
Jo  thee  now,  do  not  doubt,  that  thou  must  live  with  great 
vigilance  and  caution.  It  suffices  to  remind  thee  of  thy 
soft  and  yielding  nature,  which  thy  enemies  will  strive 
to  make  use  of  for  thy  destruction. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

THE  LORD  PREPARES  MOST  HOLY  MARY  TO  MEET  I^UCIFER 
IN  BATTLE  AND  THE  DRAGON  BEGINS  TO  PERSECUTE 
HER. 

335.  The  eternal  Word,  already  made  man  in  the 
womb  of  Mary  the  Virgin,  and  possessing  Her  as  his 
Mother,  was  aware  of  the  designs  of  Lucifer,  not  only 
through  the  uncreated  knowledge  of  his  Godhead,  but 
also  by  the  created  knowledge  of  his  humanity.  He  pre- 
pared the  defense  of  his  tabernacle,  which  was  more 
estimable  in  his  sight  than  all  the  rest  of  the  creatures. 
In  order  to  clothe  the  invincible  Lady  with  new  strength 
against  the  foolhardy  daring  of  the  treacherous  dragon 
and  his  hosts,  the  most  holy  humanity  of  Christ,  rose  up 
as  it  were  in  an  attitude  of  defense  in  the  virginal 
chamber  of  Mary  in  order  to  meet  and  offer  battle  to 
the  princes  of  darkness.  In  this  position  He  prayed  to 
the  Father  and  asked  Him  to  renew  his  favors  and  graces 
in  Mary,  in  order  that  She  might  with  added  strength 
crush  the  head  of  the  ancient  serpent,  that  this  Woman 
might  humiliate  and  overcome  him,  frustrate  his  designs 
and  all  his  powers,  and  that  She  come  forth  triumphant 
and  victorious  over  hell  to  the  glory  and  praise  of  God  and 
of  his  virginal  Mother. 

336.  The  prayer  of  Christ  our  Lord  was  punctually 
fulfilled  in  the  most  blessed  Trinity.  Then,  in  an  inde- 
scribable manner,  her  most  holy  Son  was  shown  to  Mary 
in  her  virginal  womb.  In  this  vision  the  plenitude  of 
graces  and  imspeakable  gifts  were  vouchsafed  to  Her. 

268 


THE   INCARNATION  269 

Illumined  anew  with  additional  light  of  wisdom  She 
recognized  the  highest  and  most  hidden  mysteries  im- 
possible to  describe.  She  understood  especially  that 
Lucifer  had  prepared  vast  designs  of  pride  against  the 
glory  of  the  Lord;  and  that  his  arrogance  rose  up  to 
drink  the  pure  waters  of  Jordan  (Job  40,  18).  The 
Most  High,  informing  Her  of  these  things,  said  to  Her: 
"My  Spouse  and  my  Dove,  the  infernal  dragon  thirsts 
with  such  wrath  against  my  holy  name  and  all  those  that 
adore  it,  that  he  wishes  to  drag  toward  him  all  without 
exception  and  with  daring  presumption  he  tries  to  blot 
out  my  name  from  the  land  of  the  living.  I  wish  thee, 
my  Beloved,  to  come  to  the  defense  of  my  cause  and  of 
my  holy  name,  by  giving  battle  to  the  cruel  enemy ;  and 
I  will  be  with  thee  in  battle,  since  I  am  in  thy  virginal 
womb.  I  wish  that  thou  confound  and  destroy  the 
enemies  before  I  appear  in  the  world ;  for  they  are  con- 
vinced that  the  Redemption  of  the  world  is  nigh  and 
therefore  they  desire  to  gain  over  and  ruin  all  souls 
without  exception,  before  the  world  is  redeemed.  I  trust 
this  victory  to  thy  fidelity  and  love.  Do  thou  battle  in 
my  name,  just  as  I  in  thee,  against  this  dragon  and 
ancient  serpent"  (Apoc.  12,  9). 

337.  These  words  of  the  Lord  and  the  knowledge  of 
these  secrets  so  moved  the  heart  of  the  heavenly  Mother, 
that  I  cannot  find  expression  for  that  which  then  hap- 
pened. When  She  understood,  that  her  most  holy  Son 
wished  Her  to  defend  the  honor  of  the  Most  High,  She 
was  so  inflamed  with  divine  love  and  filled  with  such  in- 
vincible fortitude,  that,  if  each  one  of  the  demons  would 
have  been  an  entire  hell  and  filled  with  the  fury  of  all  its 
inmates,  they  altogether  would  have  been  only  like  a 
few  weak  ants,  compared  to  the  incomparable  strength 
of  this  our  valiant  Leader.     All  of  them  She  would  have 

2-19 


270  CITY   OF   GOD 

vanquished  and  destroyed  by  the  smallest  part  of  her 
virtues  and  of  her  zeal  for  the  honor  and  glory  of  the 
Lord.  And  her  divine  Protector  and  Helper  ordained 
this  glorious  triumph  of  his  most  holy  Mother  over  hell, 
in  order  that  the  arrogance  of  his  enemies  might  no 
longer  lord  it  over  us  nor  rest  assured  of  being  able  to 
destroy  the  world.  But  He  wished  to  hasten  its  Redemp- 
tion and  put  us  mortals  under  obligation  not  only  to  the 
inestimable  love  of  his  most  holy  Son,  but  also  to  Mary, 
our  heavenly  Defender  and  Reparatrix.  She  was  to 
issue  forth  to  battle,  stop  his  progress,  vanquish  and 
suppress  him,  placing  mankind  on  a  proper  footing  for 
the  reception  of  their  Redeemer. 

338.  O  sons  of  men,  dull  and  slow  of  heart !  How  is 
it  that  you  do  not  heed  such  admirable  blessings  ?  Who 
is  man,  that  Thou  shouldst  honor  and  favor  Him  thus 
(Ps.  8,  5),  O  most  high  King!  Thy  own  Mother  and 
our  Mistress  Thou  sendest  out  to  labor  and  combat  in 
our  defense!  Who  ever  heard  of  similar  happenings? 
Who  has  ever  shown  such  force  and  ingenuity  of  love? 
Where  is  our  intellect  ?  Who  has  deprived  us  of  the  use 
of  reason?  What  hardness  of  heart  is  this?  What  has 
drawn  us  into  such  vile  ingratitude?  What  shameful 
conduct  of  men,  who,  while  they  claim  to  love  and  honor 
Her  so  much,  are  guilty  of  such  low  and  infamous  in- 
gratitude as  to  forget  such  an  obligation?  The  true 
nobility  and  honor  of  the  sons  of  Adam  would  rather 
seem  to  consist  in  thanking  Her  incessantly  and  sacrific- 
ing their  lives  in  gratitude ! 

339.  The  obedient  Mother,  offering  Herself  to  battle 
with  Lucifer  for  the  honor  of  her  most  holy  Son,  of  the 
holy  Trinity  and  our  own,  answered  Him  that  had  com- 
manded Her,  saying:  "My  Lord  and  highest  Good,  from 
whom  I  have  received  my  being  and  all  the  grace  and 


THE   INCARNATION  271 

light  which  I  possess:  to  Thee  I  belong  entirely,  and 
Thou,  Lord,  hast  condescended  to  be  my  Son.  Do  with 
thy  servant,  what  shall  be  to  thy  greater  glory  and  pleas- 
ure. For  if  Thou  art  in  me,  and  I  in  Thee,  who  shall 
be  powerful  enough  to  resist  thy  will?  I  shall  be  the 
instrument  of  thy  almighty  arm:  give  me  thy  strength 
and  come  with  me,  and  let  us  go  forth  to  battle  against 
the  dragon  with  all  his  followers."  In  the  meanwhile 
Lucifer  issued  from  the  meeting,  now  filled  with  such 
hateful  spite  against  Her,  that  he  considered  the  perdition 
of  all  the  other  souls  as  of  small  consequence.  If  we 
could  know  the  fury  of  satan  as  it  is  in  reahty,  we  would 
understand  better  what  God  says  to  holy  Job,  that  he 
counts  steel  as  straw  and  bronze  as  rotten  wood 
(Job  41,  18).  Such  was  the  wrath  of  the  dragon  against 
most  holy  Mary;  and  such  it  is  even  now  against  the 
souls;  for  if  he  esteemed  the  most  holy,  the  invincible 
and  most  strong  Woman  to  be  no  more  than  a  dried  up 
leaf,  what  will  he  do  to  sinners,  who  like  empty  and  de- 
caying reeds  do  not  withstand  him?  (Ephes.  6,  16). 
Living  faith  alone  and  humility  of  heart  are  the  double 
armor  which  enable  them  to  procure  glorious  victory. 

340.  In  order  to  begin  his  battle  Lucifer  brought  with 
him  the  seven  legions  with  their  seven  principal  leaders, 
whom  after  the  fall  from  heaven  he  had  appointed  to 
tempt  men  to  the  seven  capital  sins  (Apoc.  12).  Each  of 
these  seven  squadrons  he  charged  with  the  duty  of  ex- 
erting their  utmost  strength  against  the  immaculate 
Princess.  The  invincible  Lady  was  occupied  in  prayer, 
when  the  Lord  permitted  the  first  legion  of  devils  to 
begin  the  battle  by  tempting  Her  to  the  sin  of  pride,  to 
which  special  work  they  had  been  appointed.  They 
sought  to  approach  the  heavenly  Queen  by  trying  to  cause 
changes  in  her  natural  passions  and  inclinations,  for  this 


272  CITY   OF   GOD 

is  the  ordinary  way  in  which  the  demons  find  access  to 
other  mortals ;  and  they  thought  that  She  was  infected  in 
the  same  way  as  other  men  with  passions  disordered  by 
sin.  They  could  not  however  come  as  close  to  Her  as 
they  wished,  for  they  were  repelled  by  the  fragrance  of 
her  virtues  and  holiness,  which  tormented  them  more 
than  the  fire  which  consumes  them.  In  spite  of  this 
obstacle  and  although  the  very  sight  of  most  holy  Mary 
pierced  them  with  raging  torments,  they  nevertheless 
ignored  their  pains  and  lashed  themselves  into  furious 
and  ungovernable  wrath  in  their  obstinate  endeavors  to 
approach  nearer  to  Her  and  exert  upon  Her  their  cursed 
and  damnable  influence. 

341.  The  most  holy  Mary,  who  was  alone  and  left 
only  to  her  natural  forces,  stood  prepared  for  the  assault 
of  those  countless  demons;  yet  She  by  Herself  was  as 
formidable  and  terrible  (Cant.  6,  3)  to  them  as  many 
armies  in  battle  array.  They  presented  themselves  before 
Her  (Ps.  118,  85)  in  the  most  horrid  masks  and  with 
wicked  lies.  But  the  sovereign  Queen,  teaching  us  how 
to  conquer,  did  not  change  her  position  nor  was  moved 
interiorly  or  exteriorly,  nor  did  She  show  any  emotion 
of  fear  in  her  countenance.  She  took  no  notice  of  them, 
nor  attended  to  them  any  more  than  if  they  had  been 
the  weakest  ants.  She  despised  them  with  an  invincible 
and  magnanimous  heart ;  for  this  kind  of  battle,  as  it  is  a 
battle  of  virtues,  is  not  accompanied  by  the  extremes  of 
noise  and  excitement,  but  is  fought  in  all  tranquillity,  in 
outward  and  inward  peace  and  modesty.  Just  as  little 
could  She  be  moved  by  the  passions  and  the  appetites ;  for 
these  were  not  in  subservience  to  the  devil  in  our  Queen. 
In  Her  they  were  all  swayed  by  reason,  and  this  again 
was  subject  to  God,  since  none  of  her  faculties  had  been 
cast  into  disorder  by  the  first  sin,  as  in  the  rest  of  the 


THE   INCARNATION  273 

children  of  Adam.  Therefore  the  arrows  of  these 
enemies,  as  David  says,  were  like  those  of  little  children 
(Ps.  63,  8),  and  their  armories  were  like  those  which 
were  without  ammunition.  Only  to  themselves  were 
they  harmful,  for  their  weakness  only  brought  upon 
them  confusion.  Although  they  were  not  aware  of  the 
innocence  and  the  original  justice  of  most  holy  Mary 
and  therefore  did  not  understand  that  She  was  not  to 
be  injured  by  the  common  temptations;  yet  by  the 
Majesty  of  her  bearing  and  her  constancy  they  could 
conjecture  their  ill-success  and  how  She  despised  them. 
Their  efforts  were  not  of  the  least  avail ;  for,  as  says  the 
Apostle  in  the  Apocalypse  (Apoc.  12,  18)  and  as  I  have 
mentioned  in  the  first  part  (1-129),  the  earth  helped  the 
Woman,  who  was  clothed  with  the  sun,  when  the  dragon 
opened  upon  Her  the  flood  of  his  impetuous  temptations; 
meaning  thereby,  that  the  earthly  body  of  this  Lady  had 
not  been  vitiated  in  its  faculties  and  passions,  as  those  of 
others,  who  had  been  touched  by  sin. 

342.  The  demons  then  assumed  corporeal  shapes  of 
the  most  horrible  and  dreadful  kind;  and  they  began  to 
emit  fearful  howls,  roaring  with  terrible  voices,  pre- 
tending to  rush  upon  Her  and  threatening  destruction; 
they  shook  the  earth  and  the  house,  striving  also  by  other 
furious  assaults  to  frighten  and  disturb  the  Princess  of 
the  world ;  so  that  at  least  in  this,  or  in  making  Her 
desist  from  prayer,  they  might  seem  victorious.  But  the 
invincible  and  magnanimous  heart  of  most  holy  Mary 
was  not  disturbed,  nor  moved  in  the  least.  It  must  be 
remembered,  that  in  order  to  enter  upon  this  battle,  the 
Lord  left  Her  entirely  to  the  resources  of  her  own  faith 
and  virtue.  He  suspended  the  effects  of  the  other  favors 
and  privileges,  which  She  was  wont  to  enjoy  at  other 
times.     The  Most  High  wished  it  so,  in  order  that  the 


274  CITY   OF   GOD 

triumph  of  his  Mother  might  be  more  glorious  and 
honorable;  besides  this  there  were  the  other  reasons, 
which  God  has  in  allowing  the  souls  to  be  tempted  in 
this  manner.  His  judgments  are  unsearchable  and  un- 
knowable (Rom.  11,  33).  At  times  the  great  Lady- 
would  repeat :  "Who  is  like  unto  God,  that  lives  in  the 
highest  and  looks  upon  the  humble  in  heaven  and  on 
earth?"  (Ps.  112,  5).  By  these  words  She  routed  the 
hosts  that  opposed  Her. 

343.  Then  these  hungry  wolves  laid  aside  their  terri- 
ble shapes:  they  assumed  sheeps'  clothing,  transforming 
themselves  into  angels  of  light,  resplendent  and  beautiful. 
Approaching  the  heavenly  Lady,  they  said :  "Thou  hast 
conquered,  Thou  hast  conquered,  we  come  to  attend  on 
Thee  and  reward  thy  fortitude  and  invincible  courage." 
Surrounding  Her,  they  protested  their  friendship  in  flat- 
tering and  deceitful  terms.  But  the  most  prudent  Lady 
withdrew  within  Herself,  suspended  all  the  activity 
of  her  senses  and,  raising  Herself  above  Herself 
(Thren.  3,  28)  by  means  of  the  infused  virtues,  adored 
the  Lord  in  spirit  and  in  truth  (Jno.  4,  23).  De- 
spising all  the  snares  of  these  evil  tongues  and  their 
deceitful  lies.  She  spoke  to  her  most  holy  Son :  "My  Lord 
and  Master,  Light  of  light  and  my  Strength,  in  thy  help 
alone  do  I  place  all  my  confidence  and  the  exaltation  of 
thy  holy  name.  All  those  that  speak  otherwise  I  abjure, 
abhor  and  detest."  But  the  doers  of  evil  persevered  in 
their  insane  attempts  against  the  Mother  of  knowledge 
and  continued  to  extol  beyond  the  skies  Her,  who  had 
humiliated  Herself  beneath  the  lowest  of  creatures.  They 
protested  that  they  wished  to  exalt  Her  above  all  women 
and  confer  upon  Her  an  exquisite  favor:  they  would 
select  Her  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  for  the  Mother  of  the 


THE    INCARNATION  275 

Messias,  and  they  assured  Her   that  her  holiness  would 
be  greater  than  that  of  the  Patriarchs  and  Prophets. 

344.  Lucifer  himself  was  the  author  of  this  new  plot 
and  his  malice  is  here  made  known  for  a  warning  to 
other  souls.  But  it  was  ridiculous  to  offer  to  Mary,  the 
Queen  of  heaven,  a  dignity  already  her  own.  They 
themselves  were  ensnared  and  deceived,  not  only  in  offer- 
ing what  they  neither  knew  nor  were  able  to  give,  but 
also  in  being  ignorant  of  the  sacrament  of  the  King  so  in- 
timately connected  with  the  rnost  blessed  Woman,  whom 
they  persecuted.  Nevertheless  the  iniquity  of  the  dragon 
was  great,  because  he  knew  that  he  could  not  fulfill  what 
he  promised.  He  tried  to  spy  out  whether  perhaps  our 
blessed  Lady  held  that  dignity,  or  whether  She  would 
give  him  some  signs,  by  which  he  could  conjecture  it. 
Most  holy  Mary  was  aware  of  this  double-dealing  of 
Lucifer,  and  admirably  met  it  with  a  quiet  firmness.  She 
answered  the  deceitful  flatteries  by  quietly  continuing 
her  prayer  and  adoring  the  Lord.  Prostrated  upon  the 
floor  She  humiliated  Herself,  confessing  Herself  as  the 
most  despicable  of  creatures,  more  despicable  than  the 
dust  under  her  feet.  By  this  humble  prayer  and  prostra- 
tion She  cut  off  the  presumptuous  pride  of  Lucifer  as 
long  as  this  temptation  lasted.  As  for  the  rest  which 
happened,  the  cunning  of  the  demons,  their  cruelty  and 
lying  deceits  on  this  occasion,  it  seemed  to  me,  that  I 
should  not  relate  all,  nor  that  I  should  expatiate  on  all 
that  has  been  shown  to  me ;  let  this  much  suffice  for  our 
instruction;  for  not  all  can  be  trusted  to  the  ignorance 
of  weak  and  earthly  creatures. 

345.  Dismayed  and  routed,  the  first  host  of  enemies 
retired  and  gcive  way  to  the  second.  These  were  to 
tempt  Her,  who  was  the  most  poor  of  human  kind,  to 
the  sin  of  avarice.     They  offered  to  Her  great  riches. 


276  CITY   OF   GOD 

gold,  silver,  and  most  precious  gems  and  in  order  that 
these  might  not  seem  empty  promises,  thy  placed  before 
Her  a  great  quantity  of  these  riches,  although  they  were 
only  apparent;  for  they  thought  that  they  could  exert 
greater  influence  on  her  will  by  actually  presenting  these 
objects  before  Her.  They  accompanied  this  offer  with 
many  deceitful  words  and  told  Her  that  God  had  sent 
Her  all  this  for  distribution  among  the  poor.  When 
they  saw  that  all  this  had  no  effect  upon  Her,  they 
changed  their  tactics  and  urged,  that  since  She  was  so 
holy,  it  was  a  great  wrong  that  She  should  remain  so 
poor.  It  was  more  reasonable  that  She  possess  these 
riches,  than  that  they  remain  in  the  hands  of  wicked 
sinners,  for  this  would  be  an  injustice  and  a  disarrange- 
ment of  the  divine  Providence  that  the  just  be  visited 
with  poverty,  while  God's  wicked  enemies  abound  in 
riches  and  affluence, 

346.  In  vain  the  net  is  spread  before  the  eyes  of  the 
bird  in  its  flight,  says  the  wise  man.  This  was  true  of 
all  the  temptations  of  our  sovereign  Queen;  but  the 
malice  of  the  serpent  was  much  more  preposterous  in 
regard  to  this  temptation  of  avarice,  for  this  Phoenix  of 
poverty  was  so  far  removed  from  the  earth,  and  winged 
her  flight  so  far  above  that  of  even  the  seraphim,  that 
such  a  vile  and  contemptible  snare  was  entirely  in  vain. 
The  most  prudent  Lady,  although  She  possessed  divine 
wisdom,  never  undertook  to  argue  with  these  enemies,  as 
in  truth  nobody  should ;  for  they  battle  against  the  mani- 
fest truth  and  will  not  admit  defeat,  even  when  they 
must  acknowledge  its  effects.  The  most  holy  Mary  made 
use  of  some  words  of  the  holy  Scriptures  and  repeated 
them  with  serene  humility.  On  this  occasion  She  selected 
the  words  of  the  1 18th  Psalm :  "Haereditate  acquisivi  test- 
imonia  tua  in  aeternum."    "I  have  acquired  for  my  heri- 


THE   INCARNATION  277 

tage  and  for  my  riches  the  keeping  of  thy  testimonies  and 
thy  laws,  my  Lord"  (Ps.  118,  112).  She  made  use  of 
many  other  passages,  gratefully  praising  and  blessing  the 
Most  High,  because  He  had  created  and  preserved  Her 
without  her  merits.  In  this  most  wise  manner  She  re- 
jected and  overcame  the  second  temptation,  to  the  con- 
fusion and  torment  of  these  agents  of  iniquity. 

347.  Then  advanced  the  third  legion,  led  on  by  the 
prince  of  impurity  who  assails  the  weakness  of  the  flesh. 
These  made  so  much  the  greater  efforts,  because  they 
foresaw  more  clearly  the  improbability  of  success ;  and  in 
truth  they  gained  less  than  all  the  others,  if  one  may 
speak  of  more  or  less  in  these  different  temptations  of  the 
Virgin  Mary.  They  tried  to  suggest  to  Her  vile  images 
and  to  produce  before  her  eyes  unspeakable  monstrosities. 
But  all  their  efforts  vanished  in  midair ;  for  the  most  pure 
Virgin,  as  soon  as  She  had  recognized  the  first  signs  of 
this  vice,  withdrew  entirely  within  Herself  and  suspended 
all  the  activity  of  her  senses.  Thus  not  even  the  shadow 
of  a  suggestion  or  indecent  image  could  enter  her 
thoughts,  since  none  of  her  faculties  were  in  action.  With 
the  most  ardent  longing  She  renewed  many  times  her 
vow  of  chastity  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  She 
merited  more  on  this  occasion  than  all  the  virgins  that 
ever  existed  or  will  exist  in  this  world.  The  Almighty 
furnished  Her  with  such  virtue,  that  in  comparison  the 
sudden  expulsion  of  the  cannon  ball  from  the  cannon,  is 
but  a  poor  image  of  the  force  with  which  these  enemies 
were  repelled  from  the  presence  of  most  holy  Mary  when 
they  sought  to  touch  her  purity  by  their  temptations. 

348.  The  fourth  legion  undertook  to  test  her  meek- 
ness and  patience,  seeking  to  move  this  mildest  Dove  to 
anger.  This  temptation  was  most  annoying,  for  the 
demons  overturned  the  whole  house:  they  broke  and 


278  CITY    OF    GOD 

shattered  everything  contained  therein,  and  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  cause  the  greatest  amount  of  annoyance 
to  the  most  meek  Lady ;  but  her  holy  angels  soon  repaired 
all  the  damage.  Foiled  in  this  attempt,  the  demons  as- 
sumed the  shapes  of  some  women  known  to  the  serenest 
Princess.  They  flew  at  Her  with  greater  wrath  and  fury 
than  if  they  had  been  real  women ;  they  added  outrageous 
insults,  dared  to  threaten  Her,  and  took  possession  of 
things  most  necessary.  But  all  these  were  only  despicable 
tricks  in  the  eyes  of  Her  that  knew  them;  for  none  of 
their  pranks  and  assaults  escaped  the  penetration  of  the 
most  holy  Mary.  She  disregarded  them  altogether  and 
despised  them  entirely,  without  giving  any  signs  of  being 
moved  or  influenced  by  them.  The  demons  then  chose 
a  real  woman  of  a  disposition  adapted  to  their  purposes, 
whom  they  influenced  by  diabolical  art  against  the  Prin- 
cess of  heaven.  For  this  purpose  one  of  the  demons  as- 
sumed the  shape  of  an  acquaintance  of  this  Woman  and 
began  to  tell  her  that  this  Mary,  the  wife  of  Joseph,  had 
slandered  her  in  her  presence  and  had  accused  her  of 
many  gross  faults,  which  this  demon  invented  for  the 
occasion. 

349.  The  deceived  woman,  who  was  naturally  very 
much  inclined  to  anger,  hastened  furiously  to  our  meekest 
Lamb  and  hurled  at  Her  the  vilest  accusations  and  in- 
sults. She,  however,  allowing  the  angry  woman  to  pour 
out  her  wrath  gradually  began  to  speak  to  her  in  words 
so  humble  and  sweet,  that  She  changed  her  entirely,  ap- 
peased and  softened  her  heart.  When  She  had  thus 
brought  her  about,  She  consoled  and  admonished  her 
against  the  wiles  of  the  devil.  As  this  woman  was  poor, 
Mary  added  some  alms  and  dismissed  her  in  peace.  Thus 
also  this  attempt  was  foiled,  just  as  were  many  others, 
by  which  Lucifer  tried  to  irritate  our  meekest  Dove  and 


THE   INCARNATION  279 

bring  her  into  discredit.  The  Most  High  always  defended 
the  honor  of  his  most  holy  Mother,  making  use  of  her 
own  perfection  in  virtue  and  of  her  prudence  and  humil- 
ity, so  that  the  devil  could  never  succeed  in  harming  her 
good  name  in  the  least.  She  always  acted  so  prudently 
and  with  so  much  meekness  and  wisdom,  that  the  multi- 
tude of  the  hellish  attempts  were  totally  ineffectual.  The 
tranquillity  and  meekness  of  the  sovereign  Lady  during 
these  temptations  of  the  dragon  caused  the  admiration 
of  the  angels.  Even  the  demons  were  full  of  astonish- 
ment, (though  of  a  different  kind),  at  seeing  such  be- 
havior in  a  mere  creature  and  that  a  woman;  for  never 
had  they  seen  the  like. 

350.  The  fifth  legion  followed  with  temptations  to 
gluttony.  Although  the  ancient  serpent  did  not  bid  our 
Queen  to  turn  stones  into  bread  (Matth.  4,  3)  as  he  after- 
wards presumed  to  do  with  her  most  holy  Son  (for  he 
had  not  seen  Her  do  such  great  wonders,  since  they  had 
been  withheld  from  his  knowledge),  yet  he  tempted  Her 
like  the  first  woman  with  the  pleasures  of  the  taste 
(Gen.  1 ).  They  placed  before  Her  a  great  feast,  in  order 
to  incite  and  mislead  her  appetite  by  outward  allurance; 
they  tried  to  influence  the  humors  of  her  body,  so  as  to 
cause  in  Her  a  counterfeit  hunger  and  they  used  other 
means  to  attract  her  attention  to  what  they  were  offering. 
But  all  their  labor  was  in  vain  and  without  effect ;  for 
from  all  these  material  and  earthly  things  the  noble  heart 
of  our  Princess  was  as  far  removed  as  heaven  is  from 
earth.  Just  as  little  did  She  use  her  senses  in  order  to 
enjoy  the  pleasures  of  taste,  yea  She  never  even  took 
notice  of  them;  for  in  all  things  She  had  set  Herself  to 
counteract  what  our  first  mother  Eve  had  done.  Eve 
incautiously  and  heedlessly  had  looked  upon  the  beauty 
of  the  tree  of  knowledge  and    upon    its    sweet    fruit. 


280  CITY    OF    GOD 

and  then  had  reached  out  her  hand  to  eat,  thus  beginning 
our  woe.  Not  so  most  holy  Mary,  who  withdrew  and 
locked  up  her  senses,  although  She  was  in  no  such  danger 
as  Eve.  Our  first  mother  was  overcome  for  our  perdi- 
tion, while  our  Queen  conquered  for  our  rescue  and  sal- 
vation. 

351.  Much  dismayed  by  the  discomfitures  of  the  pre- 
ceding hosts,  the  spirits  of  envy  approached.  Though 
they  could  not  estimate  the  full  perfection  of  the  deeds 
of  the  Mother  of  sanctity,  they  nevertheless  felt  her  in- 
vincible strength.  They  had  seen  Her  so  unmovable  that 
they  almost  despaired  of  enticing  Her  to  any  of  their 
wicked  purposes.  Nevertheless  the  insatiate  hatred  of 
the  dragon  and  his  inmeasurable  pride  would  not  yield; 
they  laid  new  plots  in  order  to  provoke  the  Lady  most 
beloved  of  the  Lord  and  of  men  to  envy  in  others  what 
She  Herself  possessed  and  even  what  She  abhorred  as 
useless  and  dangerous.  They  drew  up  a  long  list  of 
natural  blessings  possessed  by  others  and  denied  to  Her. 
And  as  they  thought  that  supernatural  gifts  would  move 
Her  more,  they  mentioned  great  spiritual  favors  and 
blessings,  which  the  Almighty  had  conferred  upon  others 
and  not  upon  Her.  But  how  could  these  lying  repre- 
sentations move  Her,  who  was  the  Mother  of  all  the 
graces  and  gifts  of  heaven?  For  the  blessings  of  all  the 
creatures  taken  together  were  less  than  her  single  privi- 
lege of  being  the  Mother  of  the  Author  of  grace.  Pre- 
cisely because  his  Majesty  had  so  favored  Her  and  be- 
cause the  fire  of  his  charity  burned  within  Her,  She 
ardently  desired,  that  the  hand  of  the  Most  High  enrich 
and  favor  her  fellowmen  so  much  the  more.  How  then 
could  envy  find  room,  where  charity  abounded? 
(I  Cor.  13,  4).  But  the  fierce  enemies  would  not  desist. 
They  pictured  to  the  Queen  the  apparent  happiness  of 


THE   INCARNATION  281 

those,  who  in  their  riches  and  good  fortune,  considered 
themselves  happy  and  exalted  in  this  world.  They  in- 
duced several  persons  to  approach  most  holy  Mary  and 
describe  to  Her  the  consolation  of  being  rich  and  well-to- 
do.  As  if  this  deceitful  happiness  of  mortals  had  not 
been  condemned  so  often  in  holy  Scriptures  (Ps.  48), 
and  as  if  contempt  of  riches  had  not  been  the  very  science 
and  doctrine,  which  the  Queen  of  heaven  and  her  most 
holy  Son  had  come  to  exemplify  in  their  lives  for  the 
benefit  of  the  whole  world ! 

352.  Those  persons,  who  came  to  our  heavenly  Mother, 
were  exhorted  by  Her  to  use  the  temporal  goods  and 
riches  well  and  to  give  thanks  for  them  to  the  Author  of 
all  good.  She  Herself  fulfilled  this  duty,  making  up  for 
the  habitual  ingratitude  of  men.  Although  the  most 
humble  Lady  judged  Herself  unworthy  of  the  least  of 
blessings  of  the  Most  High;  yet  Her  own  sanctity  and 
exalted  dignity  in  point  of  fact  gave  witness  to  the  words 
of  holy  Scriptures  saying  in  her  name :  "With  me  are 
glorious  riches  and  justice.  For  my  fruit  is  better  than 
gold  and  precious  stone"  (Prov.  8,  18),  "In  me  is  all 
grace  of  the  way  and  the  truth,  in  me  is  all  hope  of  life 
and  of  virtue"  (Eccli.  24,  25).  In  this  exalted  excel- 
lence of  virtue  She  conquered  all  her  enemies,  astonishing 
and  confusing  them  by  this  new  experience.  For  they 
were  made  to  feel  that  where  they  had  exerted  their 
greatest  force  and  their  deepest  cunning,  they  gained  least 
and  experienced  the  greatest  repulse. 

353.  Nevertheless  the  demons  stubbornly  persisted  and 
proceeded  with  the  seventh  temptation,  which  was  that  of 
idleness.  They  sought  to  cause  in  Her  a  corporeal  indis- 
position, or  a  feeling  of  weakness  and  fatigue,  accom- 
panied by  dejection  of  spirit.  This  is  a  trick  of  satan 
little  known  and  under  its  cover  the  sin  of  laziness  causes 


282  CITY    OF    GOD 

much  ruin  among  souls  and  prevents  much  progress  in 
virtue.  They  suggested  moreover  that  She  postpone 
some  exercises  on  account  of  weariness  in  order  to  be 
able  to  perform  them  so  much  the  better  after  having 
rested.  This  too  is  one  among  many  other  tricks  of  satan, 
and  we  do  not  often  discover  it  or  know  what  to  do 
against  it.  They  also  sought  maliciously  to  hinder  the 
most  holy  Lady  in  some  exercises  by  means  of  human 
creatures,  whom  they  sent  to  visit  Her  at  unseasonable 
times,  trying  to  impede  the  performance  of  some  of  her 
holy  exercises  and  occupations  at  the  time  and  hour  set 
for  them.  But  all  these  delusions  were  detected  by  the 
most  prudent  and  alert  Princess.  She  evaded  them  by 
her  wise  precautions,  without  permitting  the  enemy  to 
succeed  in  any  of  them  and  acting  in  all  things  up  to  the 
standard  of  the  most  exquisite  perfection.  Her  enemies 
were  obliged  to  desist,  hopelessly  foiled  and  repulsed. 
Lucifer  was  full  of  rage  against  his  companions  and 
against  himself.  But  in  their  fury  and  insane  pride,  they 
resolved  to  make  one  more  general  assault  upon  Mary, 
as  I  will  relate  in  the  following  chapter. 

INSTRUCTION  GIVEN  TO  ME  BY  THE  MOST  HOIvY 
QUEEN  MARY. 

354.  My  daughter,  although  thou  hast  only  very 
briefly  summed  up  my  lengthy  battle  against  temptations, 
I  wish  that  from  what  thou  hast  written  and  from  what 
thou  knowest  otherwise  concerning  these  things,  thou 
learn  the  manner  of  resisting  and  overcoming  the  powers 
of  hell.  The  surest  way  of  fighting  the  demon  is  to  de- 
spise him,  looking  upon  him  as  the  enemy  of  the  Most 
High,  who  has  lost  all  fear  of  God  and  all  hope  of  good ; 
who  in  his  stubbornness  has  deprived  himself  of  all  means 


THE    INCARNATION  283 

of  recovery  and  is  without  sorrow  for  his  wickedness. 
Relying-  on  this  indubitable  truth  thou  shouldst  show  thy- 
self far  superior  to  him,  exalted  and  unflinching  in  thy 
thoughts,  and  treat  him  as  a  contemner  of  the  honor  and 
worship  of  his  God.  Knowing  that  thou  art  defending 
so  just  a  cause,  do  not  let  thy  courage  sink;  but  resist 
and  counteract  him  with  great  strength  and  valor  in  all 
his  attempts,  as  if  thou  wert  fighting  at  the  side  of  the 
Lord  himself;  for  there  is  no  doubt  that  his  Majesty 
assists  all  those  that  enter  loyally  into  his  battles.  Thou 
art  truly  in  good  hope  and  in  the  way  of  eternal  life 
glory,  as  long  as  thou  laborest  faithfully  for  thy  Lord 
and  God. 

355.  Remember  then,  that  the  demons  detest  and 
abominate  that  which  thou  desirest  and  lovest,  namely 
the  honor  of  God  and  thy  eternal  felicity;  and  that  they 
are  striving  to  deprive  thee  of  that  which  they  cannot 
restore  to  themselves.  God  has  reprobated  the  demon, 
while  He  offers  to  thee  his  grace,  his  virtues  and  his 
strength  in  order  to  overcome  his  and  thy  enemy  and  to 
procure  for  thee  the  happy  end  of  eternal  peace;  only 
thou  must  work  faithfully  and  keep  the  commandments 
of  the  Lord.  The  arrogance  of  the  dragon  is  great 
(Is.  16,  6),  yet  his  weakness  is  greater;  and  he  does  not 
represent  more  than  a  weak  atom  in  the  face  of  the 
divine  power.  Yet  as  his  cunning  and  malice  far  ex- 
ceed that  of  mortals  (Job  41,  21),  it  is  not  advisable  to 
allow  the  soul  to  bandy  words  with  him,  whether  he  is 
present  invisibly  or  visibly ;  for  from  his  darksome  mind, 
as  from  a  smoking  furnace,  issue  the  shadows  of  con- 
fusion, obscuring  the  judgments  of  mortals;  if  they 
listen  to  him,  he  will  fill  their  minds  with  deceits  and 
darkness,  so  that  they  will  neither  recognize  the  truth  and 
the  beauty  of  virtue,  nor  the  vileness  of  his  poisonous 


284  CITY    OF    GOD 

falsehoods.  Thus  the  souls  will  be  made  unable  to  dis- 
tinguish the  precious  from  the  worthless,  life  from  death, 
truth  from  error  (Jer.  15,  19),  and  they  easily  fall  into 
the  clutches  of  this  fierce  and  wicked  dragon. 

356.  In  temptation  let  it  be  thy  invariable  course  not 
to  attend  to  anything  which  he  proposes,  not  to  listen, 
not  to  argue  with  him  concerning  aught.  If  thou  canst 
withdraw  and  place  thyself  at  a  distance,  so  as  not  to 
perceive  or  recognize  his  wicked  attempts,  so  much  the 
more  secure  thou  wilt  be  for  thus  looking  upon  him  only 
at  a  distance.  The  demon  always  seeks  to  prepare  the 
way  for  his  deceits,  especially  in  souls  which  he  fears 
will  resist  his  entrance  unless  he  can  thus  facilitate  his 
approach.  He  is  accustomed  to  begin  by  causing  sorrow 
or  dejection  of  heart,  or  he  makes  use  of  other  trickery 
or  snares,  by  which  he  diverts  or  withdraws  the  soul  from 
the  love  of  the  Lord ;  then  he  comes  with  his  poison,  con- 
cealed in  the  golden  cup  in  order  to  diminish  the  horror 
of  the  soul.  As  soon  as  thou  noticest  in  thyself  any  of 
these  signs,  ( for  thou  hast  thy  experience,  obedience  and 
instructions  for  a  guide),  I  wish  that  with  the  wings  of 
the  dove  thou  direct  thy  flight  to  the  high  refuge  of  the 
Almighty  (Ps.  54,  7),  calling  upon  Him  for  aid  and 
proffering  the  merits  of  my  most  holy  Son.  To  me  also 
shouldst  thou  fly  for  protection  as  I  am  thy  Mother  and 
Teacher,  and  to  thy  devoted  angels,  and  to  all  the  rest  of 
thy  advocates  in  the  Lord.  Quickly  close  up  thy  senses 
and  consider  thyself  as  dead  to  them,  or  as  a  soul  already 
belonging  to  the  other  life,  whither  the  jurisdiction  and 
the  exacting  tyranny  of  the  serpent  does  not  reach. 
Occupy  thyself  so  much  the  more  earnestly  in  the  exer- 
cise of  the  virtue  contrary  to  the  vice  to  which  he  tempts 
thee,  and  especially  in  acts  of  faith,  hope  and  love,  which 


THE    INCARNATION  285 

dispel  cowardice  and  doubt,  and  weaken  the  influence  of 
discouragement  and  fear  in  the  human  heart. 

357.  The  arguments  for  overcoming  Lucifer  thou  must 
seek  in  God  alone;  and  do  not  disclose  them  to  your 
enemy,  lest  he  meet  thee  with  fallacies  and  confusing  pre- 
tense. Besides  knowing  it  to  be  dangerous,  esteem  it  as 
unworthy  of  thee  to  argue  with  him  openly,  or  to  pay 
particular  attention  to  him,  who  is  not  only  the  enemy  of 
thy  Beloved  but  also  of  thee.  Show  thyself  superior 
to  him  and  highmindedly  apply  thyself  to  the  practice  of 
all  virtues.  Be  content  with  this  treasure  and  withdraw 
thyself;  for  the  most  skillful  battle  of  the  sons  of  God 
consists  in  flying  farthest  from  evil.  The  devil  is  proud 
and  is  deeply  hurt  by  contempt;  in  the  presumption  of 
his  arrogance  and  vanity  he  desires  above  all  the  attention 
of  men.  On  this  account  he  is  so  persistent  in  pursuing 
us  step  by  step;  for  in  his  deceitfulness  he  cannot  rely 
upon  the  force  of  truth,  but  on  his  persistent  counter- 
feiting of  the  good  and  the  true.  As  long  as  this  slave  of 
wickedness  is  not  despised,  he  never  believes  himself  dis- 
covered and  he  continues,  like  an  importunate  fly,  to  buzz 
about  the  spot  tainted  by  the  greatest  corruption. 

358.  Not  less  warily  must  thou  conduct  thyself,  when 
thy  enemy  makes  use  of  other  creatures  for  thy  destruc- 
tion. This  he  does  in  two  ways:  either  leading  them  on 
to  immoderate  love,  or  to  undue  dislike  or  hatred.  As 
soon  as  thou  noticest  a  disorderly  affection  in  those  with 
whom  thou  conversest,  observe  the  same  precaution  as  in 
flying  from  the  demon;  yet  with  this  difference,  that 
while  thou  hatest  him  as  thy  enemy,  thou  consider  the 
others  as  God's  creatures  to  whom  thou  must  not  deny 
the  consideration  due  to  them  on  account  of  his  Majesty. 
But  in  as  far  as  withdrawing  from  them  is  concerned, 
act  as  if  they  were  thy  enemies;  for  in  regard  to  the  ser- 

2-20 


286  CITY   OF   GOD 

vice,  which  the  Lord  requires  of  thee  and  in  regard  to 
thy  present  condition,  it  is  the  devil  who  operates  in  these 
persons  toward  separating  thee  from  thy  God  and  from 
thy  duty.  If  on  the  other  hand  they  hate  and  persecute 
thee,  answer  them  with  meekness  and  love,  praying  for 
them  with  intimate  affection  of  thy  heart  (Matth.  5,  44). 
If  it  should  be  necessary,  soothe  the  wrath  of  thy  per- 
secutors with  sweet  words,  and  undeceive  those  who  are 
led  astray  by  false  reports.  Do  this  not  in  order  to  ex- 
cuse thyself,  but  in  order  to  pacify  thy  brothers  and  for 
their  inward  and  outward  peace;  thus  thou  wilt  at  one 
and  the  same  time  conquer  thyself  and  those  who  hate 
thee.  In  order  to  be  well  practiced  in  this  way  of  acting 
it  is  necessary  to  cut  off  the  very  roots  of  the  capital  sins, 
to  tear  them  out,  and  to  die  to  the  movements  of  the 
appetites.  For  in  these  appetites  the  seven  capital  vices 
to  which  the  devil  leads  men,  are  rooted,  and  in  these  dis- 
orderly and  undisciplined  passions  he  sows  the  germs  of 
the  seven  sins. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

LUCIFER  WITH  ALI^  HIS  SEVEN  LEGIONS  PERSISTS  IN 
TEMPTING  MOST  HOLY  MARY;  SHE  CONQUERS  THE 
DRAGON  AND  CRUSHES  HIS  HEAD. 

359.  Even  if  the  prince  of  darkness  and  wickedness 
had  now  retreated,  his  exorbitant  pride  would  have  been 
sufficiently  discomfited  and  humiliated  by  the  victories, 
which  had  been  gained  by  the  Queen  of  heaven.  But  as, 
even  if  vanquished,  he  continues  to  rise  up  against  God 
with  insatiate  malice,  he  did  not  acknowledge  his  defeat 
(Ps.  7Z,  23).  Finding  himself  conquered,  and  conquered 
so  completely  by  an  apparently  insignificant  and  weak 
Woman,  though  he  and  his  hosts  had  overcome  so  many 
valiant  men  and  high-minded  women,  his  fury  raged  on- 
ward, though  in  smothered  flames  of  wrath.  God  had 
permitted  the  enemies  to  become  aware  of  the  pregiiancy 
of  the  most  holy  Mary,  though  leaving  them  under  the 
impression,  that  it  was  entirely  a  natural  process ;  for  the 
Divinity  of  the  Child  and  other  mysteries  connected  with 
It  always  remained  hidden  to  these  enemies.  Hence  they 
persuaded  themselves  that  this  was  not  the  promised 
Messias,  since  they  held  this  Child  to  be  a  man  like  the 
rest  of  the  human  race.  This  error  also  confirmed  them 
in  the  mistake  that  most  holy  Mary  was  not  the  Mother 
of  the  Word  (Gen.  3,  15)  :  Both  of  whom  were  to  crush 
the  head  of  the  dragon.  Yet  they  were  persuaded  that 
of  a  Woman  so  valiant  and  victorious,  some  man  of  dis- 
tinguished sanctity  would  be  born.  The  great  dragon, 
convinced  of  this,  conceived  against  the  fruit  of  the  most 

287 


288  CITY    OF    GOD 

holy  Mary  that  vast  fury  mentioned  in  the  twelfth  chap- 
ter of  the  Apocalypse  and  referred  to  in  this  history,  and 
he  awaited  the  birth  of  her  Son  in  order  to  devour  Him. 

360.  Whenever  Lucifer  directed  his  looks  toward  this 
Child  enclosed  in  the  womb  of  the  most  holy  Mary,  he 
felt  a  mysterious  power  oppressing  him.  Although  his 
presence  seemed  to  cause  only  a  certain  weakening  and 
deadening  of  his  strength;  yet  this  was  sufficient  to  en- 
rage him  and  to  make  him  seek  by  all  means  the  destruc- 
tion of  this  suspicious  Child  and  of  his  victorious  Mother. 
Assuming  the  most  fearful  shapes  of  fiercest  bulls  and 
terrible  dragons  or  of  other  monsters,  he  sought  to  ap- 
proach Her  without  ever  being  able  to  succeed.  He 
rushed  upon  Her,  but  found  himself  repulsed,  without 
knowing  by  whom  or  how.  He  struggled  like  a  wild 
beast  in  chains  and  gave  forth  awe-inspiring  howls,  which, 
if  God  had  not  prevented  their  being  heard,  would  have 
terrified  the  world  and  would  have  frightened  many  men 
to  death.  He  shot  forth  from  his  mouth  fire  and  fumes 
of  sulphur  mixed  with  poisonous  spittle.  All  this  the 
heavenly  Princess  Mary  saw  and  heard,  without  being 
moved  more  than  if  She  saw  a  gnat.  He  caused  disturb- 
ances in  the  air,  upon  the  earth,  or  in  her  house,  dis- 
arranging and  overthrowing  it  in  all  its  parts;  but  most 
holy  Mary  still  remained  unmoved,  retaining  her  inward 
and  outward  tranquillity  and  peace  and  showing  Herself 
invincibly  superior  to  all  his  attempts. 

361.  Lucifer,  finding  himself  thus  vanquished,  opened 
his  most  impure  mouth  and  set  in  motion  his  lying  and 
defiled  tongue.  He  loosened  the  floodgates  of  his  malice 
and  spouted  forth  in  the  presence  of  the  heavenly  Empress 
all  the  heresies  and  infernal  falsehoods  of  the  sects,  which 
he  and  his  associates  spread  through  the  world.  For 
after  they  had  been  hurled  from  heaven  and  after  they 


THE   INCARNATION  289 

were  informed  that  the  divine  Word  was  to  assume 
human  flesh  in  order  to  be  the  Chief  of  a  race,  which  He 
would  replenish  with  graces  and  celestial  teachings,  the 
dragon  resolved  to  concoct  falsehoods  and  heresies,  in 
opposition  to  all  the  truths  concerning  the  knowledge, 
love  and  worship  of  the  Most  High.  In  this  occupation 
the  demons  consumed  many  years  before  the  coming  of 
Christ,  the  Lord  of  the  world;  and  all  this  poisonous 
deceit  Lucifer,  the  ancient  serpent,  had  stored  up  within 
himself.  Now  he  poured  it  out  in  the  presence  of  the 
Mother  of  truth  and  purity;  hoping  to  infect  Her  by  all 
the  falsehoods,  which  He  had  conceived  against  the  truth 
of  God  up  to  that  day. 

362.  They  are  not  fit  to  be  described  here,  even  less  so 
than  some  of  the  temptations  indicated  in  the  last  chap- 
ter; for  it  would  be  dangerous  not  only  for  the  weak 
souls,  but  even  the  strongest  must  fear  the  pestilential 
breath  of  Lucifer,  who  on  this  occasion  exhaled  all  his 
deceitful  malice.  According  to  what  I  saw,  I  believe 
doubtlessly,  that  there  was  no  error,  idolatry  or  heresy 
known  to  have  existed  in  the  world  to  this  day,  which 
this  dragon  did  not  vomit  forth  in  the  hearing  of  the 
sovereign  Mary.  Therefore  the  Church  can  truly  con- 
gratulate Mary  on  account  of  her  victories,  affirming  of 
Her,  that  She  by  Herself  has  smothered  and  extinguished 
all  the  heresies  of  the  whole  world  (Office  B.  V.  M.). 
Thus  in  truth  our  victorious  Sulamite,  armed  with  her 
virtues  advanced  like  an  army  in  battle  array  (Cant.  7,1) 
to  confound,  overwhelm  and  destroy  the  infernal  hosts. 
All  their  falsehoods,  and  each  one  in  particular,  She  re- 
futed, contradicting,  detesting  and  anathematizing  all 
of  them  with  invincible  faith  and  sublime  constancy.  She 
proclaimed  the  various  truths  opposed  to  his  falsehoods, 
magnifying  the  Lord  by  means  of  them  as  true,  just  and 


290  CITY   OF   GOD 

holy.  She  broke  out  into  songs  of  praise,  in  which  his 
virtues  and  doctrines  were  extolled  as  true,  holy,  immac- 
ulate and  altogether  praiseworthy.  In  fervent  prayer 
She  besought  the  Lord  to  humiliate  the  arrogance  of  the 
demons  by  preventing  them  from  spreading  so  freely 
their  poisonous  errors  through  the  world,  and  asking  Him 
to  diminish  the  influence  of  the  false  teachings,  which 
they  had  already  sowed  and  which  they  were  yet  allowed 
to  sow  among  men. 

363.  On  account  of  this  victory  of  the  great  Queen 
and  on  account  of  her  prayers,  I  perceived  that  the  Most 
High  in  justice  set  narrower  bounds  to  the  demons,  so 
that  they  would  not  be  able  to  scatter  the  seeds  of  error 
as  much  as  they  intended  and  as  much  as  the  sins  of  men 
would  merit.  Although  their  sins  are  the  cause  of  so 
many  heresies  and  sects  unto  this  day,  yet  they  would 
have  caused  many  more,  if  most  holy  Mary  had  not 
crushed  the  head  of  the  dragon  by  such  great  victories, 
by  her  prayers  and  petitions.  I  have  been  informed  of  a 
great  mystery,  which  affords  us  consolation  in  this  con- 
flict of  the  holy  Church  against  her  wicked  enemies. 
Namely,  on  account  of  this  triumph  of  most  holy  Mary 
and  on  account  of  another,  which  She  gained  over  the 
demons  after  the  Ascension  of  our  Lord  (Part  III,  528), 
the  Almighty,  in  reward  of  her  battles,  decreed,  that 
through  her  intercession  and  virtue  all  the  heresies  and 
sects  of  the  world  against  the  holy  Church  were  to  be 
destroyed  and  extinguished.  The  time  appointed  for  this 
blessing  was  not  made  known  to  me;  probably,  the  ful- 
fillment of  this  decree  is  dependent  upon  some  tacit  and 
unknown  condition.  Yet  I  am  sure,  that  if  the  Catholic 
princes  and  their  subjects  would  seek  to  please  this  great 
Queen  of  heaven  and  betake  themselves  to  her  intercession 
as  being  their  especial  Patroness  and  Protectress,  and  if 


THE   INCARNATION  291 

they  would  direct  all  their  influence  and  riches,  all  their 
power  and  sovereignty  toward  the  exaltation  of  the  faith 
and  the  honor  of  God  and  of  purest  Mary  (for  this  may 
perhaps  be  the  condition  imposed),  they  would  be  as  it 
were  the  instruments,  by  which  the  infidels  would  be  re- 
futed and  vanquished,  the  sects  and  errors  infesting  the 
world  would  be  repressed,  and  splendid  and  magnificent 
victories  would  be  gained  for  the  Catholic  truth. 

364.  Before  the  birth  of  Christ  our  Redeemer  it 
seemed  to  Lucifer  (as  was  intimated  in  the  foregoing 
chapter)  that  his  coming  was  retarded  by  the  sins  of  the 
world.  In  order  to  prevent  his  coming  altogether  he 
sought  to  increase  this  hindrance  by  multiplying  the 
aberrations  and  crimes  of  mortals.  This  iniquitous 
pride  of  the  devil  the  Lord  confounded  by  the  magnifi- 
cent triumphs  of  his  most  holy  Mother.  After  the  Birth 
and  the  Death  of  the  Redeemer,  the  malicious  dragon 
sought  to  hinder  and  divert  the  fruits  of  his  blood  and 
redemption.  For  this  purpose  he  began  to  sow  and 
spread  the  errors,  which  after  the  times  of  the  Apostles 
have  afflicted  and  do  now  afflict  the  Church.  The  vic- 
tory over  this  infernal  malice  was  likewise  left  by  Christ 
in  the  hands  of  his  most  holy  Mother :  for  She  alone  could 
merit,  and  did  merit,  such  a  victory.  Through  Her 
idolatry  was  extinguished  by  the  preaching  of  the  Gos- 
pel; through  Her  were  brought  to  naught  the  ancient 
sects  of  Arius,  Nestorius  and  Pelagius  and  of  others; 
She  it  was  that  instigated  the  zeal  and  solicitude  of 
kings,  princes,  fathers,  and  doctors  of  the  holy  Church. 
Hence,  how  can  it  be  doubted,  if  the  Catholic  princes, 
both  of  the  Church  and  of  the  state,  would  use  the  proper 
diligence,  aiding  as  it  were  this  heavenly  Lady,  that  She 
on  her  part  would  not  fail  to  help  them,  conferring  upon 
them  happiness  in  this  life  and  in  the  next,  and  cutting 


292  CITY   OF   GOD 

down  all  the  heresies  of  the  world?  For  this  very  pur- 
pose the  Lord  has  so  enriched  so  greatly  as  well  the 
Church  as  the  Catholic  reigns  and  monarchies.  If  it 
were  not  for  this  purpose,  it  were  better  that  they  remain 
poor.  It  was  not  proper  that  all  the  results  of  the  Gos- 
pel should  be  obtained  through  miracles,  but  through 
natural  means,  obtainable  by  the  proper  application  of 
riches.  But  it  is  not  for  me  to  judge  whether  they  ful- 
fill this  obligation  or  not.  I  have  only  to  report  what 
the  Lord  himself  has  made  known  to  me :  that  those 
who  hold  the  titles  of  honor  and  sovereignty  conferred 
by  the  Church,  without  coming  to  her  aid  and  defense 
and  without  applying  their  riches  toward  preventing  the 
waste  of  the  blood  of  Christ  our  Savior,  are  usurpers 
and  unjust  possessors  of  those  titles:  for  in  this  very 
thing  should  the  difference  between  Christian  and  infidel 
princes  consist. 

365.  Coming  back  to  my  subject,  I  say  that  the  Most 
High,  in  his  infinite  foresight,  well  knew  the  iniquity 
of  the  dragon,  and  that  in  the  pursuit  of  his  wrath 
against  the  Church  he  would  bring  to  disorder  many  of 
the  faithful,  striking  down  the  stars  of  the  heaven  of  the 
militant  church,  namely  the  faithful,  and  thus  seeking  to 
rouse  still  more  the  divine  justice  and  diminish  the  fruits 
of  the  Redemption.  The  highest  Lord  in  immense  kind- 
ness resolved  to  meet  this  danger  that  threatened  the 
world.  In  order  that  He  might  be  moved  in  this  by  so 
much  the  greater  equity  and  for  the  greater  glory  of  his 
name.  He  arranged  that  the  most  holy  Mary  should 
oblige  Him  to  give  this  help.  She  alone  was  worthy  of 
the  privileges,  gifts  and  prerogatives  by  which  She  was 
to  overcome  the  world ;  and  this  most  eminent  Lady  alone 
was  capable  of  such  an  enterprise  as  to  draw  toward  Her 
the  heart  of  God  by  her  holiness,  purity,  merits  and 


THE   INCARNATION  293 

prayers.  For  the  greater  exaltation  of  the  divine  power 
He  wished  it  to  be  known  through  all  the  eternities  that 
He  had  conquered  Lucifer  and  all  his  followers  through 
means  of  a  mere  Creature  and  a  Woman,  just  as  the 
devil  had  cast  down  the  whole  human  race  by  another 
woman,  and  that  there  was  none  other  to  whom  this 
salvation  of  the  Church  and  whole  world  could  be 
worthily  credited.  On  account  of  these  and  other  rea- 
sons apparent  to  us  in  faith,  the  Almighty  gave  into  the 
hands  of  our  victorious  Chieftainess  the  sword  for  cut- 
ting off  the  head  of  the  infernal  dragon ;  a  power  never 
to  be  diminished  in  Her,  and  with  which  She  defends 
and  assists  the  militant  Church  according  to  the  labors 
and  necessities  of  coming  centuries. 

366.  While  Lucifer  with  his  infernal  legions  in  visi- 
ble forms  persisted  in  his  unhappy  attempts,  the  most 
serene  Mary  never  looked  upon  them  nor  paid  any  atten- 
tion to  them,  although  by  the  permission  of  God  She 
heard  the  uproar.  Since  the  hearing  cannot  be  so  easily 
stopped  as  the  sight.  She  took  precaution,  lest  what  She 
heard  should  enter  her  imagination  or  interior  faculties. 
Nor  did  She  deign  to  speak  to  them  otherwise  than  to 
command  them  to  stop  their  blasphemies.  And  this  com- 
mand was  so  powerful  that  it  forced  the  demons  to  press 
their  mouths  to  the  earth,  while  She  in  the  meanwhile 
sang  great  canticles  of  praise  and  glory  in  honor  of  the 
Most  High.  This  intercourse  of  her  Majesty  with  God 
and  her  profession  of  the  divine  truths,  was  likewise  so 
oppressive  and  painful  to  them  that  they  began  to  attack 
each  other  like  ravenous  wolves,  or  like  rabid  dogs ;  every 
action  of  the  Empress  Mary  was  for  them  a  burning 
shaft,  and  every  one  of  her  words  a  flame  of  fire  more 
dreadful  than  hell  itself.  This  is  not  an  exaggeration 
for  the  dragon  and  his  followers  really  strove  to  fly  and 


294  CITY   OF   GOD 

escape  from  the  presence  of  most  holy  Mary;  while  the 
Lord,  in  order  to  enhance  the  triumph  of  his  Mother  and 
Spouse  and  confound  entirely  the  pride  of  Lucifer,  de- 
tained them  by  a  secret  force.  His  Majesty  permitted 
and  ordained  that  the  demons  themselves  should  hu- 
miliate themselves  so  far  as  to  ask  the  heavenly  Lady  to 
command  them  to  go  and  be  driven  from  her  presence, 
which  they  had  sought.  Accordingly  She  commanded 
them  to  return  to  the  infernal  regions.  There  they  lay 
prostrate  for  a  time,  while  the  great  Vanquisher  Mary 
remained  absorbed  in  divine  praise  and  thanksgiving. 

367.  When  by  the  permission  of  the  Lord  Lucifer 
rose  from  his  defeat,  he  returned  to  the  conflict,  selecting 
for  his  instrument  some  of  the  neighbors  of  the  holy 
spouses,  and  sowing  among  them  and  their  wives  the 
hellish  seed  of  discord  concerning  temporal  interests. 
For  this  purpose  the  demon  took  the  shape  of  a  woman 
known  to  them  all  and  telling  them  that  they  should  not 
disagree  among  themselves,  since  the  source  of  all  their 
differences  was  none  other  than  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Joseph.  The  woman,  whose  shape  the  demon  took,  held 
the  esteem  and  regard  of  all  these  persons,  and  there- 
fore her  words  were  so  much  the  more  weighty.  Al- 
though the  Lord  did  not  allow  the  good  name  of  his 
most  holy  Mother  to  suffer  in  any  important  point,  yet 
He  permitted,  that  for  her  greater  glory  and  merit,  all 
these  deceived  persons  should  give  Her  an  opportunity 
of  exercising  her  patience  on  this  occasion.  They  betook 
themselves  in  a  body  to  the  house  of  saint  Joseph  and  in 
his  presence  they  called  forth  most  holy  Mary  and  spoke 
very  harshly  to  Her,  accusing  Her  of  disturbing  their 
homes  and  their  peace.  This  event  was  painful  to  the 
most  innocent  Lady,  on  account  of  the  worry  occasioned 
to  saint  Joseph,  who  had  already  noticed  the  increase  of 


THE    INCARNATION  295 

her  virginal  womb,  and  who,  as  She  had  perceived,  was 
already  troubled  by  the  thoughts  beginning  to  arise  in 
his  heart.  Nevertheless,  in  her  prudence  and  wisdom. 
She  sought  to  meet  this  disturbance  with  humility,  and 
overcome  it  by  patience  and  lively  faith.  She  did  not 
defend  Herself,  nor  fall  back  on  the  faultlessness  of  her 
conduct;  on  the  contrary.  She  humiliated  Herself  and 
begged  Her  ill-informed  neighbors  to  pardon  Her,  if  in 
anything  She  had  offended  them.  With  sweet  and  wise 
words  She  enlightened  and  pacified  them,  making  them 
understand  that  none  of  them  had  committed  any  offense 
against  the  others.  Satisfied  by  her  explanations  and 
edified  by  the  humility  of  her  answer,  they  peacefully 
withdrew  to  their  houses,  while  the  demon  fled,  not  being 
able  to  endure  such  great  sanctity  and  heavenly  wisdom. 
368.  Saint  Joseph  remained  somewhat  pensive  and 
sad,  and  he  began  to  give  way  to  conjecture,  as  I  will 
relate  in  the  following  chapters  (Nos.  375  to  394).  The 
demon,  although  he  was  ignorant  of  the  chief  cause  of 
the  troubled  thoughts  of  saint  Joseph,  wished  to  profit  by 
the  occasion  (for  he  allows  none  to  escape  him),  in  order 
to  disquiet  him  still  more.  But  doubting  whether  his  dis- 
satisfaction did  not  arise  from  a  certain  disgust  at  his 
poverty  and  his  lowly  habitation,  the  demon  hesitated  be- 
tween two  different  courses.  On  the  one  hand  he  sug- 
gested a  feeling  of  restlessness  to  saint  Joseph,  irritating 
and  disgusting  him  against  his  poverty ;  and  on  the  other 
hand  he  tried  to  persuade  him  that  Mary,  his  Spouse, 
devoted  too  much  time  to  her  meditations  and  prayers, 
and  led  a  too  negligent  and  leisurely  life,  instead  of  ex- 
erting Herself  to  improve  their  poor  circumstances.  But 
saint  Joseph,  upright  and  magnanimous  of  heart,  readily 
despised  and  rejected  such  considerations.  The  solici- 
tude with  which  he  was  secretly  filled  in  regard  to  the 


296  CITY   OF'   GOD 

pregnancy  of  his  Spouse  easily  smothered  all  other  anx- 
ieties. The  Lord,  leaving  him  in  the  beginning  to  these 
anxious  thoughts,  freed  him  from  the  temptations  of  the 
demon  through  the  intercession  of  the  most  holy  Mary. 
For  She  was  very  attentive  to  all  that  passed  v^ithin  the 
heart  of  her  most  faithful  spouse.  She  therefore  be- 
sought her  most  holy  Son  to  relieve  him  of  these  as- 
saults, and  to  be  satisfied  with  the  service  which  he  ren- 
dered to  God  in  enduring  the  sorrow  of  seeing  Her 
pregnant. 

369.  The  Most  High  ordained  that  the  Princess  of 
heaven  should  still  farther  prolong  this  great  battle  with 
Ljucifer.  He  permitted  him  and  all  his  legions  in  one 
general  assault  to  strain  all  their  forces  and  exert  all 
their  malice,  so  that  the  demons  might  find  themselves 
entirely  crushed  and  vanquished.  The  heavenly  Lady 
was  to  achieve  the  greatest  triumph  that  ever  was  gained, 
or  could  be  gained,  over  hell  by  a  mere  creature.  These 
legions  of  wickedness  arrived  in  all  their  hellish  array 
to  present  themselves  before  the  heavenly  Queen,  and 
with  indescribable  fury.  Uniting  all  the  scheming  plots, 
of  which  they  had  until  now  availed  themselves  sepa- 
rately, and  adding  what  little  they  could,  they  advanced 
to  make  a  universal  onslaught.  But  I  will  not  detain 
myself  in  describing  it  specially,  as  nearly  all  can  be  un- 
derstood from  what  has  been  described  in  the  two  pre- 
ceding chapters.  She  met  them  all  and  awaited  their 
fearful  onslaught  with  the  same  tranquillity,  high-minded- 
ness  and  serenity,  as  if  She  had  been  in  the  position  of 
the  highest  choirs  of  the  angels  seated  on  their  secure 
and  unassailable  thrones.  No  strange  or  improper  emo- 
tion could  disturb  the  serenity  of  her  heavenly  interior, 
although  the  menacing  terrors,  illusions  and  falsehoods 
of  all  hell  were  poured  forth  in  torrents  by  the  dragon 


THE    INCARNATION  29/ 

against  this  strong  and  unconquered  Woman,  most  holy 
Mary. 

370.  While  She  thus  in  the  midst  of  this  conflict  exer- 
cised heroic  acts  of  all  the  virtues  against  her  enemies, 
She  was  made  aware  of  the  adorable  decree  of  the  Most 
High,  that  She  should  humiliate  and  crush  the  pride  of 
the  dragon  by  her  great  dignity  as  Mother  of  God. 
Rising  up  in  ardent  and  invincible  valor.  She  turned 
toward  the  demons  and  spoke  to  them:  "Who  is  like 
unto  God,  who  dwells  on  high?"  And  repeating  these 
words,  She  added:  "Prince  of  darkness,  author  of  sin 
and  death,  in  the  name  of  the  Most  High  I  command 
thee  to  become  mute,  and  with  thy  legions  to  cast  thyself 
into  the  infernal  caverns,  where  thy  place  is  appointed  to 
thee,  and  whence  thou  shalt  not  come  forth  until  the 
promised  Messias  shall  vanquish  thee  and  crush  thee,  or 
until  He  otherwise  permit."  The  heavenly  Empress 
shone  forth  in  the  light  and  splendor  of  heaven;  and,  as 
the  proud  dragon  made  a  pretence  of  resisting  Her  com- 
mand. She  directed  upon  him  the  full  force  of  her  power. 
His  resistance  drew  upon  him  so  much  the  greater  pain, 
humiliation  and  torment,  since  such  he  thereby  merited 
before  all  the  other  demons.  Together  they  fell  into 
the  abyss  and  remained  fixed  in  its  lowest  caverns,  as 
had  happened  to  them  at  the  time  of  the  Incarnation,  and 
as  I  will  describe  further  on  at  the  temptation  and  at  the 
death  of  Christ  our  Lord  (No.  130,  999,  1421).  And 
when  this  dragon  afterwards  engaged  in  his  last  battle 
with  this  Queen,  which  is  described  in  the  third  part  of 
this  history  (Part  III,  452  seq.),  this  heavenly  Lady  van- 
quished him  so  completely  that  through  Her  and  her 
most  holy  Son  his  head  was  entirely  crushed.  In  that 
final  battle  his  strength  was  so  weakened  and  ruined 
that  if  human  creatures  do  not  deliver  themselves  into 


298  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  hands  of  his  malice  they  can  very  easily  resist  and 
overcome  him  with  the  divine  grace. 

371.  Then  the  Lord  himself  appeared  to  his  most  holy 
Mother,  and  in  reward  of  her  glorious  victories  He  com- 
municated to  Her  new  gifts  and  privileges;  Her  thou- 
sand guardian  angels  visibly  presented  themselves  with 
innumerable  hosts  of  others,  and  sang  to  Her  new  canti- 
cles of  praise  in  honor  of  the  Most  High  and  of  Herself, 
And  with  celestial  concord  of  sweet  and  audible  voices 
they  sang  of  Her,  that  which  the  holy  Church  figura- 
tively sings  of  the  triumph  of  Judith :  "Thou  art  all 
beautiful,  Mary  our  Lady,  and  there  is  no  stain  of  sin 
in  Thee ;  Thou  art  the  glory  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem ; 
Thou  the  honor  of  the  people  of  God ;  Thou  art  She,  who 
magnifiest  his  name,  the  Advocate  of  sinners,  who  de- 
fendest  them  against  their  proud  enemy!  O  Mary! 
Thou  are  full  of  grace  and  of  all  perfection."  The 
heavenly  Lady  was  filled  with  glad  jubilee,  praising  the 
Author  of  all  good  and  acknowledging  Him  as  the  source 
of  all  She  possessed.  Whereupon  She  began  to  pay 
more  particular  attention  to  the  well-being  of  her  spouse, 
as  I  shall  relate  in  the  following  chapter  of  the  fourth 
book. 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH  OUR  QUEEN  AND  MISTRESS  GAVE  ME. 

372.  My  daughter,  the  silence  which  the  soul  should 
maintain  when  the  invisible  enemies  advance  with  their 
specious  reasonings,  should  not  prevent  it  from  imposing 
silence  upon  them  in  the  name  of  the  Most  High,  and 
from  commanding  them  to  leave  its  presence  in  confu- 
sion. Therefore  I  desire  this  to  be  thy  prudent  behavior 
Yv^hen  they  assault  thee ;  for  there  is  no  other  defense  so 
powerful  against  the  dragon  than  to  be  conscious  of  the 


THE   INCARNATION  299 

power  which  we  possess  as  children  of  God,  and  to  use 
the  advantage  which  this  confidence  gives  us  by  exercis- 
ing our  dominion  and  superiority  over  the  infernal 
spirits  (Matth.  6,  9).  For  the  whole  aim  of  Lucifer, 
after  he  had  fallen  from  heaven,  consists  in  enticing  souls 
from  their  Creator  and  in  sowing  the  seed  of  discord,  by 
which  he  hopes  to  separate  from  the  heavenly  Father  his 
adopted  children,  and  the  spouses  of  Christ  from  their 
Bridegroom.  Whenever  he  perceives  that  a  soul  is 
united  with  his  Creator  and  in  living  communion  with 
its  head  Christ,  he  tries  to  surpass  himself  in  his  furious 
attempts  at  persecuting  it;  his  envy  arouses  the  utmost 
exertion  of  his  deceitfulness  and  malice  for  its  destruc- 
tion. But  as  soon  as  he  sees  that  he  cannot  succeed  in 
his  attempts,  because  the  soul  takes  refuge  in  the  unfail- 
ing and  unassailable  protection  of  the  Most  High,  he 
weakens  in  his  attempts  and  begins  to  writhe  in  exquisite 
torments.  If  the  soul,  thus  strengthened  with  the  au- 
thority of  God's  truth,  despises  and  casts  him  out,  there 
is  no  creeping  worm  or  ant  so  weak  as  that  giant  of 
iniquitous  pride. 

Z7Z.  By  this  most  true  doctrine  thou  must  comfort 
and  strengthen  thyself,  when,  according  to  the  decree  of 
the  Almighty,  thou  meetest  tribulations  and  art  sur- 
rounded by  the  sorrows  of  death  in  temptations  such  as 
I  have  suffered.  For  they  afiford  thy  Spouse  the  best 
occasion  of  verifying  thy  fidelity  by  experience.  There- 
fore love  must  not  be  satisfied  merely  with  mere  protes- 
tations of  affection  without  looking  for  more  valuable 
fruit;  for  the  desire  which  costs  nothing  is  not  a  suffi- 
cient proof  of  love  in  a  soul,  nor  of  its  proper  esteem  of 
the  good  which  it  pretends  to  hold  dear  and  love.  If 
thou  wishest  to  give  a  satisfactory  proof  of  thy  love  to 
thy  Spouse,  show  thyself  invincible  in  thy  trust  in  Him 


500  CITY   OF   GOD 

also  then  when  thou  findest  thyself  most  afflicted  and  for- 
saken by  human  aid;  confide  in  the  Lord  thy  God,  and 
hope  in  Him,  if  necessary,  against  hope  (Rom.  4,  18). 
For  He  does  not  slumber,  nor  does  He  sleep,  who  calls 
Himself  the  protection  of  Israel  (Ps.  120,  4).  In  due 
time  He  will  command  the  waves  and  the  wind,  and 
restore  tranquillity  (Matth.  8,  26). 

374.  Thou  must  be  much  more  wary,  my  daughter,  in 
the  beginning  of  the  temptations;  for  there  is  then 
greater  danger  lest  the  soul,  yielding  to  the  concupiscent 
or  the  irascible  passions,  by  which  the  light  of  reason 
is  obscured  and  darkened,  allow  itself  to  be  thrown  into 
confusion.  As  soon  as  the  demon  notices  such  a  state 
of  mind  he  will  raise  a  whirlwind  of  dust  in  the  faculties. 
His  fierceness  is  so  immeasurable  and  implacable  that  it 
will  then  increase  in  fury.  He  will  add  flame  to  flame, 
thinking  that  the  soul  has  no  one  to  defend  and  rescue 
it  from  his  hands  (Ps.  120,  11).  With  the  force  of  his 
temptations  increases  also  the  danger  of  failing  in  the 
necessary  resistance,  since  the  soul  has  commenced  to 
yield  in  the  very  beginning.  All  this  I  make  known  to 
thee,  in  order  that  thou  mayest  fear  the  danger  of  being 
remiss  in  guarding  against  the  first  approaches  of  the 
demon.  Do  not  incur  it  in  what  is  so  important.  Thou 
shouldst  continue  in  the  even  tenor  of  thy  duties  in  every 
temptation ;  keeping  up  the  sweet  and  devout  union  with 
the  Lord  and  preserving  thy  prudent  and  loving  inter- 
course with  thy  neighbors,  thou  shouldst  forestall  by 
prayer  and  by  restraint  of  thy  feelings  the  disorder  which 
the  enemy  seeks  to  bring  about  in  thy  soul. 


BOOK  TWO 

BOOK  IV,  II  OF  II   PART 

Describing  the  Anxieties  of  Saint  Joseph  on  Account  of  the  Pregnancy  of 

Most  Holy  Mary, the  Birth  of  Christ  our  Lord,  His  Circumcision,  the 

Adoration  of  the  Kings,  the  Presentation  of  the  Infant  Jesus 

In  the  Temple,  the  Flight  Into  Egypt,  the  Death  of  the 

Holy  Innocents,  and  the  Return  to  Nazareth. 


CHAPTER  I. 

SAINT  JOSEPH  BECOMES  AWARE  OF  THE  PREGNANCY  01^ 
HIS  SPOUSE,  THE  VIRGIN  MARY,  AND  IS  FILLED  WITH 
ANXIETY,  AS  HE  KNOWS  THAT  HE  HAD  NO  PART  IN  IT. 

375.  The  divine  pregnancy  of  the  Princess  of  heaven 
had  advanced  to  its  fifth  month  when  the  most  chaste 
Joseph,  her  husband,  commenced  to  notice  the  condition 
of  the  Virgin ;  for  on  account  of  the  natural  elegance  and 
perfection  of  her  virginal  body,  as  I  have  already  re- 
marked (No.  115),  any  change  could  not  long  remain 
concealed  and  would  so  much  the  sooner  be  discovered. 
One  day,  when  saint  Joseph  was  full  of  anxious  doubts 
and  saw  Her  coming  out  of  her  oratory,  he  noticed  more 
particularly  this  evident  change,  without  being  able  to 
explain  away  what  he  saw  so  clearly  with  his  eyes.  The 
man  of  God  was  wounded  to  his  inmost  heart  by  an 
arrow  of  grief,  unable  to  ward  off  the  force  of  evidence, 
which  at  the  same  time  wounded  his  soul.  The  principal 
cause  of  his  grief  was  the  most  chaste,  and  therefore  the 
most  intense  love  with  which  he  cherished  his  most  faith- 

2-21  301 


302  CITY   OF   GOD 

fill  Spouse,  and  in  which  he  had  from  the  beginning 
given  over  to  Her  his  whole  heart.  Moreover,  her 
charming  graces  and  incomparable  holiness  had  captured 
and  bound  to  Her  his  inmost  soul.  As  She  was  so  per- 
fect and  accomplished  in  her  modesty  and  humble 
reticence,  saint  Joseph,  besides  his  anxious  solicitude  to 
serve  Her,  naturally  entertained  the  loving  desire  of 
meeting  a  response  of  his  love  from  his  Spouse.  This 
was  so  ordained  by  the  Lord,  in  order  that  by  the  desire 
for  this  interchange  of  affection  he  might  be  incited  to 
love  and  serve  Her  more  faithfully. 

376.  Saint  Joseph  fulfilled  this  obligation  as  a  most 
faithful  spouse  and  as  the  guardian  of  the  sacrament, 
which  as  yet  was  concealed  from  him.  In  proportion  as 
he  was  solicitous  in  serving  and  venerating  his  Spouse, 
and  loving  Her  with  a  most  pure,  chaste,  holy  and  just 
love,  in  so  far  also  increased  his  desire  of  finding  a  re- 
sponse to  his  affection  and  service.  He  never  manifested 
or  spoke  of  this  desire,  as  well  on  account  of  the  rever- 
ence elicited  by  the  humble  majesty  of  his  Spouse  as  also 
because  the  more  than  angelic  purity,  conversation  and 
intercourse  of  the  Virgin  with  him  had  given  him  no 
apprehension  in  this  regard.  But  when  he  found  him- 
self thus  unexpectedly  in  the  face  of  this  disclosure, 
where  the  clear  evidence  of  his  senses  allowed  no  denial, 
his  soul  was  torn  asunder  by  sorrowful  surprise.  Yet, 
though  overwhelmed  by  the  evidence  of  this  change  in 
his  Spouse,  he  gave  his  thoughts  no  greater  liberty  than 
to  admit  what  his  eyes  could  not  fail  to  perceive.  For, 
being  a  holy  and  just  man  (Matth.  1,  19),  although  he 
saw  the  effect,  he  withheld  his  judgment  as  to  the  cause. 
Without  doubt,  if  the  saint  had  believed  that  his  Spouse 
had  any  guilt  in  causing  this  condition,  he  would  have 
died  of  sorrow. 


THE    INCARNATION  303 

377.  Besides  all  this  was  the  certainty  of  his  not  having 
any  part  in  this  pregnancy,  the  effects  of  which  were 
before  his  eyes;  and  there  was  the  inevitable  dishonor 
which  would  follow  as  soon  as  it  would  become  public. 
This  thought  caused  so  much  the  greater  anxiety  in  him, 
as  he  was  of  a  most  noble  and  honorable  disposition,  and 
in  his  great  foresight  he  knew  how  to  weigh  the  dis- 
grace and  shame  of  himself  and  his  Spouse  in  each  cir- 
cumstances. The  third  and  most  intimate  cause  of  his 
sorrow,  and  which  gave  him  the  deepest  pain,  was  the 
dread  of  being  obliged  to  deliver  over  his  Spouse  to  the 
authorities  to  be  stoned  (Lev.  20,  10),  for  this  was  the 
punishment  of  an  adulteress  convicted  of  the  crime.  The 
heart  of  saint  Joseph,  filled  with  these  painful  consider- 
ations, found  itself  as  it  were  exposed  to  the  thrusts  of 
many  sharp-edged  swords,  without  any  other  refuge  than 
the  full  confidence  which  he  had  in  his  Spouse.  But  as 
all  outward  signs  confirmed  the  correctness  of  his  ob- 
servations, there  was  no  escape  from  these  tormenting 
thoughts,  and  as  he  did  not  dare  to  communicate  about 
his  grievous  affliction  with  anybody,  he  found  himself 
surrounded  by  the  sorrows  of  death  (Ps.  17,  5),  and  he 
experienced  in  himself  the  saying  of  the  Scriptures,  that ; 
"Jealousy  is  hard  as  hell"  (Cant.  8,  6). 

378.  When  he  attempted  to  follow  out  these  thoughts 
in  solitude,  grief  suspended  his  faculties.  If  his  thoughts 
touched  upon  the  wrong,  which  his  senses  led  him  to  sus- 
pect, they  melted  away  as  the  ice  before  the  sun,  or  van- 
ished like  the  dust  before  the  wind,  as  soon  as  he  remem- 
bered the  well-tried  holiness  of  his  modest  and  circum- 
spect Spouse.  If  he  tried  to  suspend  the  workings  of 
his  chaste  love,  he  could  not ;  for  She  continued  to  present 
Herself  to  his  thoughts  as  the  most  worthy  object  of  his 
love,  and  the  hidden  truth  of  her  fidelity  had  more  power 


304  CITY   OF   GOD 

of  attracting  his  love  than  the  deceitful  appearances  of 
infidelity  to  destroy  it.  The  strong  and  sure  bond  which 
truth,  reason  and  justice  had  woven  about  her  fidelity 
could  not  be  broken.  He  found  no  suitable  occasion  of 
opening  his  mind  to  his  heavenly  Spouse,  nor  did  her 
serene  and  heavenly  equanimity  seem  to  invite  him  to 
such  an  explanation.  Although  he  could  not  but  admit 
the  change  in  her  shape,  yet  he  could  not  conceive  how 
her  purity  and  holiness  could  be  compatible  with  any 
failing  such  as  this  change  might  indicate.  For  it  seemed 
impossible  to  him  to  connect  such  a  sin  Nvith  One  who 
manifested  such  chastity,  tranquillity  and  holy  discretion, 
and  such  united  harmony  of  all  graces  and  virtues  in  her 
daily  life. 

379.  In  the  midst  of  these  tormenting  anxieties  the 
holy  Spouse  Joseph  appealed  to  the  tribunal  of  the  Lord 
in  prayer  and  placing  himself  in  his  presence,  he  said: 
"Most  high  Lord  and  God,  my  desires  and  sighs  are  not 
unknown  to  Thee.  I  find  myself  cast  about  by  the  vio- 
lent waves  of  sorrow  (Ps.  31.  10)  which  through  my 
senses  have  come  to  afflict  my  heart.  I  have  given  my- 
self over  with  entire  confidence  to  the  Spouse  whom  thou 
hast  given  me.  I  have  confided  entirely  in  her  holiness; 
and  the  signs  of  this  unexpected  change  in  Her  are 
giving  rise  to  tormenting  and  fearful  doubts  lest  my  con- 
fidence be  misplaced.  Nothing  have  I  until  now  seen 
in  Her  which  could  give  occasion  for  any  doubt  in  her 
modesty  and  her  extraordinary  virtue;  yet  at  the  same 
time  I  cannot  deny  that  She  is  pregnant.  To  think  that 
She  has  been  unfaithful  to  me,  and  has  offended  Thee, 
would  be  temerity  in  view  of  such  rare  purity  and  holi- 
ness :  to  deny  what  my  own  eyes  perceive  is  impossible. 
But  it  is  not  impossible  that  I  die  of  grief,  unless  there 
is  some  mystery  hidden  beneath  it  which  I  cannot  yet 


THE   INCARNATION  305 

fathom.  Reason  proclaims  Her  as  blameless,  while  the 
senses  accuse  Her.  She  conceals  from  me  the  cause  of 
her  pregnancy,  while  I  have  it  before  my  eyes.  What 
shall  I  do?  We  both  have  come  to  an  agreement  con- 
cerning our  vows  of  chastity,  and  we  have  both  prom- 
ised to  keep  them  for  thy  glory;  if  it  could  be  possible 
that  She  has  violated  her  fidelity  toward  Thee  and  toward 
me,  I  would  defend  thy  honor  and  would  forget  mine  for 
love  of  Thee.  Yet  how  could  She  preserve  such  purity 
and  holiness  in  all  other  things  if  She  had  committed  so 
grave  a  crime  in  this?  And  on  the  other  hand,  why 
does  She,  who  is  so  holy  and  prudent,  conceal  this  matter 
from  me?  I  withhold  and  defer  my  judgment.  Not  be- 
ing able  to  penetrate  to  the  cause  of  what  I  see,  I  pour 
out  in  thy  presence  my  afflicted  soul  (Ps.  141,  3),  God 
of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob.  Receive  my  tears  as  an 
acceptable  sacrifice;  and  if  my  sins  merit  thy  indig- 
nation, let  thy  own  clemency  and  kindness  move  Thee 
not  to  despise  my  excruciating  sorrow.  I  do  not  believe 
that  Mary  has  offended  Thee;  yet  much  less  can  I  pre- 
sume that  there  is  a  mystery  of  which  I,  as  her  Spouse, 
am  not  to  be  informed.  Govern  Thou  my  mind  and 
heart  by  thy  divine  light,  in  order  that  I  may  know  and 
fulfill  that  which  is  most  pleasing  to  Thee." 

380.  Saint  Joseph  persevered  in  this  kind  of  prayer, 
adding  many  more  affectionate  petitions ;  for  even  though 
he  conjectured  that  there  must  be  some  mystery  in  the 
pregnancy  of  the  most  holy  Mary  hidden  from  him,  he 
could  not  find  assurance  therein.  This  thought  had  no 
greater  force  to  exculpate  most  holy  Mary  than  the  other 
reasons  founded  upon  her  holiness;  and  therefore  the 
idea  that  the  most  holy  Queen  might  be  the  Mother  of 
the  Messias  did  not  come  to  his  mind.  If  at  times  he 
drove  away  his  conjectures,  they  would  return  in  greater 


306  CITY    OF    GOD 

number  and  with  more  urgent  force  of  evidence.  Thus 
he  was  cast  about  on  the  turbulent  waves  of  doubt. 
From  sheer  exhaustion  he  would  at  times  fall  into  a  con- 
dition of  mind  wherein  he  could  find  neither  an  anchor 
of  certainty  for  his  doubts,  nor  tranquillity  for  his  heart, 
nor  any  standard  by  which  he  could  direct  his  course. 
Yet  his  forebearance  under  this  torment  was  so  great 
that  it  is  an  evident  proof  of  his  great  discretion  and 
holiness,  and  that  it  made  him  worthy  of  the  singular 
blessing  which  awaited  him. 

381.  All  that  passed  in  the  heart  of  saint  Joseph  was 
known  to  the  Princess  of  heaven,  who  penetrated  into  its 
interior  by  the  light  of  her  divine  science.  Although  her 
soul  was  full  of  tenderness  and  compassion  for  the  suffer- 
ings of  her  spouse.  She  said  not  a  word  in  the  matter; 
but  She  continued  to  serve  him  with  all  devotion  and 
solicitude.  The  man  of  God  watched  Her  without  out- 
ward demonstration,  yet  with  a  greater  anxiety  than  that 
of  any  man  that  ever  lived.  The  pregnancy  of  most 
holy  Mary  was  not  burdensome  or  painful  to  Her;  but 
as  the  great  Lady  in  serving  him  at  table  or  any  other 
domestic  occupations,  necessarily  disclosed  her  state  more 
and  more  openly,  saint  Joseph  noticed  all  these  actions 
and  movements  and  with  deep  affliction  of  soul  verified 
all  his  observations.  Notwithstanding  his  being  a  holy 
and  just  man,  he  permitted  himself  to  be  respected  and 
served  by  the  most  holy  Virgin  after  their  espousal, 
claiming  in  all  things  the  position  of  head  and  husband 
of  the  family,  though  with  rare  humility  and  prudence. 
As  long  as  he  was  ignorant  of  the  mystery  of  his  Spouse 
he  judged  it  right,  within  befitting  limits,  to  show  his 
authority  in  imitation  of  the  ancient  Fathers  and  Patri- 
archs. For  he  knew  that  they  demanded  subjection  and 
prompt  obedience  of  their  wives,  and  he  did  not  wish  to 


THE    INCARNATION  307 

recede  from  their  example.  He  would  have  been  right 
in  this  course  if  most  holy  Mary,  our  Lady,  had  been 
no  more  than  other  women.  Yet  although  there  was 
such  a  great  difference,  no  woman  ever  existed  or  will 
exist  who  was  or  will  be  so  obedient,  humble  and  de- 
voted to  her  husband  as  the  most  exalted  Queen  was 
toward  her  spouse.  She  served  him  with  incomparable 
respect  and  promptitude ;  although  She  knew  his  troubled 
thoughts  and  observations  concerning  her  pregnancy.  She 
omitted  no  service  due  to  him,  nor  did  She  try  to  conceal 
or  palliate  her  state.  For  such  evasion  or  duplicity  would 
not  have  consorted  with  the  angelic  truthfulness  and 
openness,  nor  with  the  nobility  and  magnanimity  of  her 
generous  heart, 

382.  The  great  Lady  could  easily  have  asserted  her 
entire  innocence  and  referred  to  the  testimony  of  saint 
Elisabeth  and  Zacharias ;  for,  if  saint  Joseph  had  any  sus- 
picion of  guilt  in  Her,  he  could  naturally  have  supposed 
it  to  have  been  incurred  during  her  stay  with  them. 
Hence,  through  them  and  by  other  references,  She  could 
have  justified  Herself  and  quieted  the  anxieties  of  saint 
Joseph  without  disclosing  the  mystery.  The  Mistress  of 
prudence  and  humility  did  nothing  of  the  kind ;  for  these 
virtues  did  not  allow  Her  to  think  of  Herself,  nor  to 
trust  the  justification  of  her  mysterious  condition  to  her 
own  explanation.  With  great  wisdom  She  resigned  the 
whole  matter  into  the  hands  of  divine  Providence.  Al- 
though her  compassion  for  her  spouse  and  her  love  for 
him  made  Her  anxious  to  console  and  comfort  him.  She 
would  not  do  it  by  clearing  Herself  or  by  concealing  her 
pregnancy,  but  rather  by  serving  him  with  more  devoted 
demonstrations  of  love,  and  by  trying  to  cheer  him  up, 
asking  him  what  She  could  do  for  him  and  lovingly  show- 
ing her  devoted  and  submissive  affection.     Many  times 


308  CITY   OF   GOD 

She  served  him  on  her  knees,  and  although  this  somewhat 
consoled  saint  Joseph,  yet  on  the  other  hand,  it  was  also 
a  cause  for  new  grief.  For  thus  he  only  saw  the  motives 
of  love  and  esteem  multiplied  and  still  remained  uncer- 
tain whether  She  had  been  untrue  or  not.  The  heavenly 
Lady  offered  up  continual  prayers  for  him  and  besought 
the  Most  High  to  look  upon  him  and  console  him ;  as  for 
the  rest  She  submitted  all  to  the  will  of  his  Majesty. 

383.  Saint  Joseph  could  not  entirely  conceal  his  cruel 
sorrow,  and  therefore  he  often  appeared  to  be  in  doubt 
and  sad  suspense.  Sometimes,  carried  away  by  his  grief, 
he  spoke  to  his  heavenly  Spouse  with  some  degree  of 
severity,  such  as  he  had  not  shown  before.  This  was 
the  natural  effect  of  the  affliction  of  his  heart,  not  of 
anger  or  vengeful  feelings;  for  these  never  entered  his 
thoughts,  as  we  shall  see  later.  The  most  prudent  Lady, 
however,  never  lost  the  sweetness  of  her  countenance,  nor 
showed  any  feeling;  but  merely  redoubled  her  efforts  to 
relieve  her  husband.  She  served  at  table,  offered  him 
a  seat,  administered  food  and  drink,  and  if,  after  all  these 
services,  which  She  performed  with  incomparable  grace, 
saint  Joseph  urged  Her  to  sit  down,  he  could  convince 
himself  more  and  more  of  her  pregnancy.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  all  this  was  one  of  the  greatest  trials  not  only 
of  saint  Joseph,  but  of  the  Princess  of  heaven,  and  that 
it  greatly  manifested  the  most  profound  humility  and 
wisdom  of  her  most  holy  soul.  The  Lord  thereby  gave 
Her  an  opportunity  of  exercising  and  proving  all  Her 
virtues;  for  He  had  not  only  not  commanded  Her  to 
conceal  the  sacrament  of  her  pregnancy,  but  contrary  to 
his  usual  manner  of  proceeding,  He  had  not  even  mani- 
fested to  Her  his  pleasure  in  any  way.  It  seemed  as  if 
God  had  left  this  whole  matter  in  her  hands  and  en- 
trusted it  all  to  the  wisdom  and  virtue  of  his  chosen 


THE   INCARNATION  309 

Spouse,  without  giving  Her  special  enlightenment  of 
help.  The  divine  Providence  afforded  the  most  holy 
Mary  and  her  most  faithful  Spouse  an  opportunity  to 
exercise  in  a  heroic  manner  the  gifts  and  graces  which 
He  had  infused  into  them,  and  delighted,  (according  to 
our  way  of  speaking) ,  in  the  faith,  hope  and  love,  in  the 
humility,  patience,  peace  and  tranquillity  of  these  two 
hearts  in  the  midst  of  their  grievous  affliction.  In  order 
to  increase  their  glory  and  furnish  to  the  world  an  ex- 
ample of  holiness  and  prudence,  and  in  order  to  hear  the 
sweet  cries  of  his  most  holy  Mother  and  of  her  most 
chaste  spouse,  He  became  as  it  were  deaf  to  their  pro- 
longed invocations  and  delayed  answering  them  until  his 
own  opportune  and  fitting  time. 

[NSTRUCTION  OF  OUR   MOST   HOLY  QUEEN   AND  I^ADY. 

384.  My  dearest  daughter,  most  exalted  are  the 
thoughts  and  intentions  of  the  Lord ;  his  Providence  with 
souls  is  sweet  and  powerful  and  He  is  admirable  in  the 
government  of  them  all,  especially  of  his  friends  and 
chosen  ones.  If  mortals  would  strive  to  know  the  loving 
care  for  their  direction  and  advancement,  as  shown  by  this 
Father  of  mercies  (Matth.  6,  5),  they  would  be  relieved 
and  would  not  be  involved  in  such  irksome,  useless  and 
dangerous  anxieties,  living  in  perpetual  toils  and  vain 
trust  in  the  help  of  creatures.  For  they  would  resign  them- 
selves without  hesitation  to  the  infinite  wisdom  and  love, 
which,  with  paternal  sweetness  and  gentleness  would 
watch  over  all  their  thoughts,  words  and  actions  and  all 
things  necessary  for  them.  I  do  not  wish  thee  to  be 
ignorant  of  this  truth,  but  to  understand  how  the  Lord 
from  all  eternity  bears  in  his  mind  all  the  predestined  of 


310  CITY   OF   GOD      * 

the  different  times  and  ages;  and  that  by  the  invincible 
force  of  his  infinite  wisdom  and  goodness  He  continually 
disposes  and  prepares  all  the  blessings  useful  to  them,  so 
that  the  end  desired  for  them  may  be  attained. 

385.  Hence  it  is  very  important  for  the  rational  crea- 
ture to  allow  itself  to  be  led  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord  and 
leave  all  to  the  divine  disposition;  for  mortal  men  are 
ignorant  of  their  ways  and  of  the  goal  to  which  they 
lead.  In  their  ignorance  they  should  not  presume  to 
chose,  lest  they  make  themselves  guilty  of  great  temerity 
and  incur  the  danger  of  damnation.  But  if  they  resign 
themselves  with  all  their  heart  to  the  divine  Providence 
of  God,  acknowledging  him  as  their  Father  and  them- 
selves as  his  children  and  creatures,  his  Majesty  will  con- 
stitute Himself  as  their  Protector,  Helper  and  Director; 
and  He  will  assume  these  offices  with  such  love  that  He 
wishes  to  call  heaven  and  earth  to  witness  how  much  He 
considers  it  his  affair  to  govern  his  own  and  direct  those 
who  trust  and  resign  themselves  into  his  hands.  If  God 
were  capable  of  grief,  or  of  jealousy  like  men,  it  would 
be  aroused  in  Him  at  seeing  creatures  claiming  a  part  in 
the  providing  for  the  welfare  of  souls  and  that  souls 
should  seek  to  supply  their  necessities  from  other  quar- 
ters independently  -of  Him  (Wis.  12,  13).  Mortals 
would  not  be  so  ignorant  of  this  truth  if  they  would  study 
what  happens  between  a  father  and  his  children,  a  hus- 
band and  his  wife,  one  friend  and  another,  a  prince  and 
his  well-loved  and  honored  subject.  All  that  these  do  is 
nothing  in  comparison  with  the  love  which  God  had  for 
his  children,  and  that  which  He  can  do  and  will  do  for 
them. 

386.  Yet  although  men  in  general  believe  this  truth, 
no  one  can  fully  estimate  the  love  of  God  and  its  effects 
on  those  souls  who  resign  themselves  entirely  to  his  will. 


THE   INCARNATION  311 

Nor  canst  thou,  my  daughter,  manifest  what  thou  know- 
est,  nor  shouldst  thou ;  but  thou  must  not  lose  sight  of  it 
in  the  Lord.  His  Majesty  says,  that  not  a  hair  of  his 
elect  shall  perish,  because  He  keeps  account  of  them 
(Luke  21,  18).  He  directs  their  footsteps  toward 
eternal  life  and  keeps  them  from  death.  He  observes 
their  labors,  lovingly  corrects  their  defects,  favors  their 
desires,  forestalls  their  anxieties,  defends  them  in  anger, 
rejoices  them  in  peace,  strengthens  them  in  battle,  assists 
them  in  tribulation.  His  wisdom  is  at  their  service 
against  deceit,  his  goodness  for  their  sanctification.  As 
He  is  infinite,  whom  none  can  hinder  or  resist.  He  exe- 
cutes what  He  wishes,  and  He  wishes  to  be  entirely  at 
the  service  of  the  just,  who  are  in  his  grace  and  trust 
themselves  wholly  to  Him.  Who  could  ever  measure  the 
number  and  greatness  of  the  blessings  which  He  would 
shower  upon  a  heart  prepared  to  receive  them ! 

387.  If  thou,  my  dearest,  wishest  to  attain  to  gain  this 
good  fortune,  imitate  me  with  true  solicitude  and  apply 
thyself  from  now  on  to  establish  in  thee  a  true  resigna- 
tion in  the  divine  Providence.  If  He  sends  thee  tribula- 
tions, sorrows  and  labors,  accept  and  embrace  them  with 
tranquillity  of  soul,  with  patience,  lively  faith  and  hope 
in  the  goodness  of  the  Most  High,  who  always  provides 
that  which  is  the  most  secure  and  profitable  for  thy  salva- 
tion. Chose  nothing  for  thyself,  since  God  knows  thy 
ways;  trust  thyself  to  the  heavenly  Father  and  Spouse, 
who  will  shield  and  assist  thee  with  most  faithful  love. 
Study  also  My  works,  since  they  are  known  to  thee ;  and 
remember  that,  excepting  the  labors  of  my  most  holy 
Son,  the  greatest  suffering  of  my  life  was  to  see  the  tribu- 
lations of  my  spouse  saint  Joseph,  and  his  grief  in  the 
matter  which  thou  hast  described. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  ANXIETIES  OF  SAINT  JOSEPH  INCREASE ;  HE  RESOI^VES 
TO  I<EAVE  HIS  SPOUSE,  AND  HE  BETAKES  HIMSELF  TO 
PRAYER  ON  THIS  ACCOUNT. 

388.  In  his  tormenting  doubts  the  most  upright  heart 
of  saint  Joseph  sometimes  prudently  tried  to  find  relief 
and  ease  for  his  sorrow  by  reasoning  for  himself  and  per- 
suading himself  that  the  pregnancy  of  his  Spouse  was  as 
yet  doubtful.  But  this  self-deception  vanished  more  and 
more  every  day  on  account  of  the  increasing  evidence  of 
that  state  in  the  most  holy  Virgin.  As  this  vain  and 
fleeting  consolation  failed  him  more  and  more  and  finally 
changed  into  complete  conviction  as  her  pregnancy  ad- 
vanced, the  glorious  saint  found  no  haven  of  refuge  in 
his  anxieties.  In  the  meanwhile  the  heavenly  Princess 
grew  in  loveliness  and  in  perfect  freedom  from  all  bodily 
failings.  Her  charming  beauty,  healthfulness  and  grace- 
fulness visibly  increased  before  his  eyes.  All  this  only 
nourished  the  anxieties  and  the  torments  of  his  most 
chaste  love,  so  that  his  interior  was  involved  by  the  turbu- 
lent waves  of  his  loving  sorrow  in  unutterable  confusion 
and  he  was  finally  stranded  on  the  shores  of  a  sea  of  grief 
by  the  overpowering  evidence  of  his  senses  in  regard  to 
the  pregnancy  of  Mary.  Although  his  spirit  was  always 
conformed  to  the  will  of  God,  yet  his  flesh  in  his  weak- 
ness felt  the  excess  of  his  interior  trouble,  which  at  last 
reached  such  a  point  that  he  knew  not  any  more  which 
way  to  turn.  The  strength  of  his  body  was  broken  and 
vanished  away,  not  by  a  definite  disease,  but  in  weakness 

312 


THE   INCARNATION  313 

and  emaciation.  These  effects  of  his  profound  sorrow 
and  melancholy  became  openly  visible  in  his  countenance. 
Moreover,  as  he  suffered  all  this  alone  without  seeking 
relief  or  lessening  his  sorrow  by  communication  with 
others,  as  is  customary  with  the  afflicted,  his  suffering 
grew  to  be  so  much  the  more  serious  and  incurable. 

389.  In  the  meanwhile  the  sorrow  which  filled  the 
heart  of  the  most  holy  Mary  was  equally  great.  Yet, 
although  her  sorrow  exceeded  all  bounds,  the  capacity  of 
her  generous  and  magnanimous  soul  was  much  greater 
and  therefore  She  could  conceal  her  grief  more  com- 
pletely, and  occupy  her  faculties  in  the  loving  care  of 
saint  Joseph,  her  spouse.  Her  sorrow  therefore  only  in- 
cited Her  to  attend  so  much  the  more  devotedly  to  his 
health  and  comfort.  Nevertheless,  as  the  inviolable  rule 
of  the  actions  of  the  most  prudent  Queen  was  to  perform 
all  in  the  fullness  of  wisdom  and  perfection.  She  con- 
tinued to  conceal  the  mystery  about  the  disclosure  of 
which  She  had  received  no  command.  Though  She 
alone  could  relieve  her  spouse  by  an  explanation.  She 
withheld  it  in  reverence  and  faithfulness  due  to  the  sac- 
rament of  the  heavenly  King  (Tob.  12,  7).  As  far  as 
She  herself  was  concerned.  She  exerted  her  utmost 
powers;  She  spoke  to  him  about  his  health,  She  asked 
what  She  could  do  to  serve  him  and  afford  him  help  in 
the  weakness  which  so  mastered  him.  She  urged  him  to 
take  some  rest  and  recreation,  since  it  was  a  duty  to  yield 
to  necessity  and  repair  the  weakened  strength,  in  order 
to  be  able  to  work  for  the  Lord  afterward.  Saint 
Joseph  observed  all  the  actions  of  his  heavenly  Spouse, 
and,  pondering  over  such  virtue  and  discretion  and  feel- 
ing the  effects  of  her  intercourse  and  presence,  he  said : 
"Is  it  possible  that  a  Woman  of  such  habits,  and  in  whom 
such  graces  of  the  Lord  are  manifest,  can  bring  over 


314  CITY   OF   GOD 

me  such  affliction  ?  How  can  this  prudence  and  holiness 
agree  with  these  open  signs  of  her  infideHty  to  God  and 
to  me,  who  love  Her  so  much?  If  I  conclude  to  send 
Her  away,  or  to  leave  Her,  I  lose  her  most  loving  com- 
pany, all  my  comfort,  my  home  and  my  tranquillity.  What 
blessing  equal  to  Her  can  I  find  if  I  withdraw  from  Her? 
What  consolation,  if  this  one  fails?  But  all  this  weighs 
less  than  the  infamy  connected  with  this  sad  misfortune, 
and  that  I  should  come  to  be  looked  upon  as  her  accom- 
plice in  crime.  That  this  event  remain  concealed  is  not 
possible;  since  time  will  reveal  all,  even  if  I  strive  now 
to  hide  it.  To  pass  as  the  author  of  this  pregnancy  will 
be  a  vile  deceit  and  a  blotch  on  my  good  name  and  con- 
science. I  cannot  recognize  it  as  caused  by  me,  nor  can 
I  ascribe  it  to  any  other  source  known  to  me.  Hence, 
what  am  I  to  do  in  this  dire  stress?  The  least  evil  will 
be  to  absent  myself  and  leave  my  house  before  her  de- 
livery comes  upon  Her;  for  then  I  would  be  still  more 
confused  and  afflicted.  I  would  then  be  obliged  to  live 
in  my  own  house  with  a  child  not  my  own,  without  being 
able  to  find  any  outlet  or  expedient." 

390.  The  Princess  of  heaven,  becoming  aware  of  the 
resolve  of  her  spouse  saint  Joseph  to  leave  Her  and  ab- 
sent himself,  turned  in  great  sorrow  to  her  holy  angels 
and  said  to  them :  "Blessed  spirits  and  ministers  of  the 
highest  King,  who  raised  you  to  felicity  which  you  enjoy, 
and  by  his  kind  Providence  accompany  me  as  his  faith- 
ful servants  and  as  my  guardians,  I  beseech  you,  my 
friends,  to  present  before  God's  clemency  the  afflictions 
of  my  spouse  Joseph.  Beseech  the  Lord  to  look  upon 
him  and  console  him  as  a  true  Father.  And  you  also, 
who  so  devotedly  obey  his  words,  hear  likewise  my 
prayers ;  in  the  name  of  Him  who  is  infinite,  and  to  whom 
I  am  to  give  human  shape  in  my  womb,  I  pray,  beseech 


THE   INCARNATION  315 

and  supplicate  you,  that  without  delay  you  assist  and 
relieve  my  most  faithful  spouse  in  the  affliction  of  his 
heart  and  drive  from  his  mind  and  heart  his  resolve  of 
leaving  me."  The  angels  which  the  Queen  selected  for 
this  purpose  obeyed  immediately  and  instilled  into  the 
heart  of  saint  Joseph  many  holy  thoughts,  persuading  him 
anew  that  his  Spouse  Mary  was  holy  and  most  perfect, 
and  that  he  could  not  beheve  anything  wrong  of  Her; 
that  God  was  incomprehensible  in  his  works,  and  most 
hidden  in  his  judgments  (Ps.  33,  19)  ;  that  He  was  al- 
ways most  faithful  to  those  who  confide  in  Him,  and  that 
He  would  never  despise  or  forsake  them  in  tribulation. 

391.  By  these  and  other  holy  inspirations  the  troubled 
spirit  of  saint  Joseph  was  somewhat  quieted,  although  he 
did  not  know  whence  they  came ;  but  as  the  cause  of  his 
sorrow  was  not  removed,  he  soon  relapsed,  not  finding 
anything  to  assure  and  soothe  his  soul,  and  he  returned 
to  his  resolve  of  withdrawing  and  leaving  his  Spouse. 
The  heavenly  Queen  was  aware  of  this  and  She  con- 
cluded that  it  was  necessary  to  avert  this  danger  and  to 
insist  in  earnest  prayer  on  a  remedy.  She  addressed 
Herself  entirely  to  her  most  holy  Son  in  her  womb,  and 
with  most  ardent  affection  of  her  soul  She  prayed: 
"Lord  and  God  of  my  soul,  with  thy  permission,  although 
I  am  but  dust  and  ashes  (Gen.  18,  27),  I  will  speak  in 
thy  kingly  presence  and  manifest  to  Thee  my  sighs,  that 
cannot  be  hidden  from  Thee  (Ps.  37,  10).  It  is  my 
duty  not  to  be  remiss  in  assisting  the  spouse  whom  I 
have  received  from  thy  hand.  I  see  him  overwhelmed 
by  the  tribulation,  which  Thou  hast  sent  him,  and  it 
would  not  be  kind  in  me  to  forsake  him  therein.  If  I 
have  found  grace  in  thy  eyes,  I  beseech  Thee,  Lord  and 
eternal  God,  by  the  love  which  obliged  Thee  to  enter 
into  the  womb  of  thy  servant  for  the  salvation  of  man- 


316  CITY    OF    GOD 

kind,  to  be  pleased  to  console  thy  servant  Joseph  and  dis- 
pose him  to  assist  me  in  the  fulfillment  of  thy  great  works. 
It  would  not  be  well  that  I,  thy  servant,  be  left  without 
a  husband  for  a  protection  and  guardian.  Do  not  per- 
mit, my  Lord  and  God,  that  he  execute  his  resolve  and 
withdraw  from  me." 

392.  The  Most  High  answered  Her:  "My  dearest 
Dove,  I  shall  presently  visit  my  servant  Joseph  with  con- 
solation; and  after  I  shall  have  manifested  to  him  by 
my  angel  the  sacrament,  which  is  unknown  to  him,  thou 
mayest  speak  openly  about  all  that  I  have  done  with  thee, 
without  the  necessity  of  keeping  silent  thenceforward  in 
these  matters.  I  will  fill  him  with  my  spirit  and  make 
him  apt  to  perform  his  share  in  these  mysteries.  He  will 
assist  Thee  in  them  and  aid  Thee  in  all  that  will  hap- 
pen." With  this  promise  of  the  Lord,  most  holy  Mary 
was  comforted  and  consoled,  and  She  gave  most  fervent 
thanks  to  the  same  Lord,  who  disposes  all  things  in  ad- 
mirable order,  measure  and  weight.  For  besides  the  con- 
solation, which  the  relief  from  this  anxiety  afforded  Her, 
She  also  knew  well  how  proper  it  was  that  the  spirit  of 
saint  Joseph  be  tried  and  dilated  by  this  tribulation  be- 
fore the  great  mysteries  should  be  entrusted  to  his  care. 

393.  In  the  meanwhile  saint  Joseph  was  anxiously  de- 
bating within  himself  concerning  the  proper  course  of 
action,  for  he  had  borne  his  tribulation  already  for  two 
months;  and  now,  overcome  by  the  greatness  of  it,  he 
argued  with  himself:  I  do  not  find  a  better  way  out  of 
these  difficulties  than  to  absent  myself.  I  confess  that 
my  Spouse  is  most  perfect  and  exhibits  nothing  but  what 
shows  Her  a  saint;  but  after  all  She  is  pregnant  and  of 
it  I  cannot  fathom  the  mystery.  I  do  not  wish  to  injure 
Her  reputation  of  holiness  by  involving  Her  in  the  pun- 
ishment of  the  law ;  yet  at  the  same  time  I  cannot  stand 


i 


THE   INCARNATION  317 

by  and  witness  the  consequences  of  her  pregnancy.  I 
will  leave  her  now,  and  commit  myself  to  the  providence 
of  the  Lord,  who  governs  me."  He  then  resolved  to  de- 
part during  that  night,  and  in  order  to  prepare  for  his 
journey  he  packed  some  clothes  and  other  trifles  into  a 
small  bundle.  Having  also  claimed  some  wages  due  to 
him  for  his  work,  he  retired  to  rest  with  the  intention  of 
leaving  at  midnight.  But  on  account  of  the  strangeness 
of  his  undertaking,  and  because  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
commending  his  intentions  to  God  in  prayer,  after  he  had 
come  to  this  resolve  he  spoke  to  the  Lord:  "Highest 
and  eternal  God  of  our  fathers  Abraham,  Isaac  and 
Jacob,  Thou  true  and  only  refuge  of  the  poor  and 
afflicted,  the  grief  and  tribulation  of  my  heart  are  well 
known  to  thy  clemency.  Thou  knowest  also,  O  Lord 
(although  I  am  unworthy),  that  I  am  innocent  of  that 
which  causes  my  sorrow,  and  Thou  likewise  art  aware 
of  the  infamy  and  danger  consequent  upon  the  condition 
of  my  Spouse.  I  do  not  believe  Her  an  adulteress,  be- 
cause I  see  in  Her  great  virtue  and  perfection ;  yet  I  cer- 
tainly see  Her  pregnant.  I  do  not  know  by  whom  or 
how  it  was  caused ;  and  therefore  I  find  no  way  to  restore 
my  peace.  In  order  to  choose  the  least  evil  I  will  with- 
draw from  Her  and  seek  a  place  where  no  one  knows 
me  and,  resigning  myself  to  thy  Providence,  I  will  pass 
my  life  in  a  desert.  Do  not  forsake  me,  my  Lord  and 
eternal  God,  since  I  desire  solely  thy  honor  and  service." 
394.  Saint  Joseph  prostrated  himself  on  the  ground 
and  made  a  vow  to  go  to  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  and 
offer  up  a  part  of  the  small  sum  of  money  which  he 
had  provided  for  his  journey,  in  order  that  God  might 
help  and  protect  Mary  his  Spouse  from  the  calamities 
of  men  and  free  Her  from  all  misfortune ;  for  great  was 
the  uprightness  of  that  man  of  God,  and  the  esteem  in 

2-22 


318  CITY   OF   GOD 

which  he  held  the  heavenly  Lady.  After  this  prayer  he 
composed  himself  for  a  short  sleep  with  the  intention  of 
departing  in  secret  and  at  midnight  from  his  Spouse. 
During  this  sleep,  however,  happened  what  I  will  relate 
in  the  next  chapter.  The  great  Princess  of  heaven, 
(assured  by  the  divine  promise),  observed  from  her  re- 
tirement all  that  saint  Joseph  was  preparing  to  do ;  for  the 
Almighty  showed  it  to  Her.  And  hearing  the  vow, 
which  he  made  for  her  welfare,  and  seeing  the  small 
bundle  and  the  poor  provision  he  prepared  for  his  jour- 
ney. She  was  filled  with  tender  compassion  and  prayed 
anew  for  him,  giving  praise  and  thanks  to  the  Lord  for 
his  Providence  in  guiding  the  actions  of  men  beyond  all 
human  power  of  comprehension.  His  Majesty  so  or- 
dained events,  that  both  most  holy  Mary  and  saint  Jo- 
seph should  be  brought  to  the  utmost  reach  of  interior 
sorrow.  For  besides  the  merits  of  this  prolonged 
martyrdom  they  would  gain  the  admirable  and  precious 
blessing  of  the  divine  consolation  deserved  thereby.  Al- 
though the  great  Lady  persevered  in  the  belief  and  hope 
of  a  seasonable  intervention  of  the  Lord,  and  therefore 
remained,  silent  in  order  not  to  reveal  the  sacrament,  con- 
cerning the  disclosure  of  which  the  King  had  given  Her 
no  command;  yet  She  was  much  afflicted  by  the  resolve 
of  saint  Joseph  to  leave  Her ;  because  She  reflected  upon 
the  great  inconvenience  of  being  alone,  without  a  com- 
panion and  a  protector,  on  whom  She  could  rely  for  con- 
solation and  support  in  the  natural  order;  for  She  well 
knew  that  She  could  not  expect  all  to  proceed  according 
to  the  supernatural  and  miraculous.  Yet  all  her  sighs 
could  not  prevent  Her  from  exercising  the  most  exalted 
virtues  with  a  magnanimous  spirit,  such  as  patience  in 
bearing  her  afflictions  and  the  suspicions  of  saint  Joseph 
and  its  results;  prudence,  in  withholding  the  disclosure 


THE   INCARNATION  319 

of  the  mystery  on  account  of  its  greatness;  silence,  in 
signalizing  Herself  as  a  woman  who  knew  how  to  re- 
frain from  speaking  about  that  which  so  many  human 
reasons  urged  Her  to  make  known ;  forbearance  and  hu- 
mility, in  silently  submitting  to  the  suspicions  of  saint 
Joseph.  Many  other  virtues  did  She  exercise  in  this 
trouble  in  a  wonderful  manner;  by  which  She  taught  us 
to  hope  in  the  Almighty  for  our  deliverance  in  the 
greatest  tribulations. 

INSTRUCTION    WHICH     MARY,    THE    QUEEN    OE    HEAVEN, 

GAVE  ME. 

395.  My  daughter,  the  example  of  my  silence,  which 
thou  hast  been  writing  about,  should  teach  thee  to  use  it 
as  a  guide  in  thy  treatment  of  the  favors  and  sacraments 
of  the  Lord,  namely  that  thou  keep  them  concealed 
within  thy  heart.  Although  it  might  at  times  seem  use- 
ful to  reveal  them  for  the  consolation  of  some  soul,  thou 
must  not  act  upon  this  opinion  without  having  first  con- 
sulted God  in  prayer,  and  then  thy  superiors.  For  these 
spiritual  matters  must  not  be  made  dependent  upon 
human  feeling,  which  are  so  much  subject  to  the  passions 
and  inclinations  of  nature.  There  is  always  great  dan- 
ger of  considering  that  to  be  an  advantage  which  is 
harmful,  and  a  service  to  God,  what  is  injurious.  It  is 
not  given  to  eyes  of  the  flesh  and  blood  (I  Cor.  2,  14)  to 
discern  the  interior  movements,  so  as  to  decide  which  of 
them  are  divine  and  caused  by  grace,  or  which  are 
human,  engendered  by  the  disorderly  affections.  Al- 
though there  is  great  difference  between  these  two  kinds 
of  affections  and  their  causes,  nevertheless,  if  the  creature 
is  not  highly  enlightened  and  dead  to  its  passions,  it  can- 
not recognize  this  difference,  nor  separate  the  precious 


320  CITY   OF   GOD 

from  the  vile  (Jer.  15,  19).  This  danger  is  greater 
when  some  temporal  or  human  motive  is  mixed  up  with 
or  underlies  our  actions ;  for  then  our  natural  selflove  is 
wont  to  creep  in  and  take  away  discretion  and  supervi- 
sion of  heavenly  and  spiritual  things,  leading  on  to  many 
sudden  and  dangerous  falls. 

396.  Let  it  therefore  be  to  thee  as  a  rule  always  to  be 
followed  that  thou  reveal  nothing  to  any  one  except  to 
thy  spiritual  guide,  unless  I  command  otherwise.  Since 
I  have  constituted  myself  thy  Teacher,  I  will  not  fail  to 
give  thee  advice  and  direction  in  this  and  in  all  other 
things,  lest  thou  stray  from  the  path  appointed  to  thee  by 
the  will  of  my  most  holy  Son.  Yet  I  admonish  thee  to 
appreciate  highly  all  the  favors  and  revelations  of  the 
Most  High.  Preserve  them  with  a  magnanimous  heart ; 
esteem  them,  give  thanks  for  them,  and  put  them  to  prac- 
tice in  preference  to  anything  else,  especially  in  pref- 
erence to  anything  originating  from  thy  own  inclinations. 
The  reverential  fear  of  God  bound  me  to  silence,  having 
(as  was  proper)  such  a  high  regard  for  the  Treasure 
deposited  in  me.  Notwithstanding  the  natural  feeling 
of  love  and  obligation  toward  my  master  and  spouse 
saint  Joseph,  and  in  disregard  of  the  sorrow  and  compas- 
sion for  his  afflictions,  of  which  I  so  desired  to  free  him, 
I  hid  the  secret  of  my  state  in  silence,  preferring  the 
pleasure  of  the  Lord  to  all  these,  and  leaving  to  Him  the 
defense  of  my  cause.  Learn  also  from  this  never  to  de- 
fend thyself  against  accusations,  no  matter  how  innocent 
thou  mayest  be.  Oblige  the  Lord  to  do  it  by  confiding  in 
his  love.  Charge  thy  reputation  to  his  account;  and  in 
the  meanwhile  overcome  by  patience  and  humility,  by 
sweet  and  kind  words,  those  who  have  offended  thee. 
Above  all  things  I  admonish  thee  never  to  judge  evil  of 
any  one,  even  if  thou  seest  with  thy  own  eyes  the  out- 


THE   INCARNATION  321 

ward  warrants  of  thy  judgment;  for  perfect  and  sincere 
charity  will  teach  thee  to  find  a  prudent  evasion  and  ex- 
cuse for  all  faults  of  thy  neighbor.  God  has  placed  my 
spouse,  saint  Joseph,  as  a  shining  example  for  such  a 
course  of  action,  since  no  one  had  more  evident  proofs 
of  evil,  and  no  one  was  more  discreet  in  deferring  his 
judgment.  For  in  the  law  of  discreet  and  holy  charity 
it  must  be  held  as  prudence,  not  temerity,  to  suspect 
higher  causes,  as  yet  unseen,  rather  than  to  judge  and 
condemn  our  neighbors  for  faults  in  which  his  guilt  is 
not  clearly  evident.  I  do  not  give  thee  special  instruc- 
tions for  those  that  are  in  the  state  of  matrimony,  since 
they  can  derive  them  manifestly  from  the  whole  course 
of  my  life.  But  from  the  above  instruction  all  can  profit, 
although  just  now  I  have  in  view  thy  own  advancement, 
because  I  desire  it  with  especial  love.  Hear  me,  daugh- 
ter, and  fulfill  my  counsels  and  follow  these  my  words  of 
eternal  life. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THS  ANGElv  OF  THE  LORD  SPEAKS  TO  SAINT  JOSEPH  IN 
HIS  SIvEEP  AND  MAKES  KNOWN  TO  HIM  THE  MYS- 
TERY OE  THE  INCARNATION HIS  BEHAVIOR  THERE- 
AFTER. 

397.  The  sorrow  of  jealousy  keeps  such  vigilant  watch 
in  those  that  are  beset  by  it,  that  very  often  it  not  only 
awakens  them  from  sleep,  but  drives  away  altogether  the 
refreshment  of  slumber.  Nobody  ever  suffered  this  sor- 
row in  the  same  degree  as  saint  Joseph,  although,  if  he 
had  known  the  truth,  nobody  ever  had  less  occasion.  He 
was  endowed  with  exalted  light  and  knowledge,  so  that 
he  could  penetrate  to  the  abyss  of  the  incalculable  sanc- 
tity and  perfection  of  his  heavenly  Spouse.  As  the  rea- 
sons which  urged  him  to  resign  the  possession  of  such 
great  blessing  were  inexorable,  it  naturally  followed  that 
the  knowledge  of  what  he  was  to  lose  should  add  to  the 
sorrow  of  parting  therefrom.  Hence,  what  saint  Joseph 
suffered  in  this  regard  exceeds  all  that  ever  was  endured 
by  any  man ;  for  no  one  ever  equalled  him  in  the  loss,  and 
no  one  could  so  value  and  estimate  it.  Besides,  there  was 
a  great  difference  in  the  zeal  and  jealousy  of  this  faithful 
servant  of  God  and  the  jealousies  of  others  in  like  trou- 
bles. For  jealousies  create  in  the  vehement  and  ardent 
lover  a  great  anxiety  to  preserve  and  prevent  loss  of  the 
loved  object;  and  to  this  anxiety  is  naturally  added  the 
pain  caused  by  the  fear  lest  the  loved  one  be  alienated  by 
others.  This  kind  of  feeling  or  sorrow  is  commonly 
called  jealousy.     In  those  who  have  disorderly  passions, 

322 


THE    INCARNATION  323 

and  who,  for  want  of  prudence  or  other  virtues,  yield  to 
them,  it  usually  causes  the  different  feelings  of  wrath, 
fury,  envy  toward  the  person  loved,  or  against  the  rival 
who  impedes  the  return  of  love,  be  it  a  well-ordered  love 
or  not.  Then  arise  the  storms  of  suspicion  and  conjec- 
ture in  the  imagination,  engendered  by  these  passions; 
the  tempests  of  alternate  desire  and  abhorrence;  of  lov- 
ing affection  and  vain  regret.  Thus  the  irascible  and 
concupiscent  faculties  are  in  perpetual  strife,  without  any 
regard  for  the  demands  of  reason  or  prudence;  for  this 
kind  of  sorrow  confounds  the  understanding,  perverts 
reason,  and  rejects  prudence. 

398.  In  saint  Joseph  this  disorder  was  not  infected 
with  all  these  faults,  nor  could  they  find  room  in  him,  on 
account  both  of  his  own  exalted  holiness  and  that  of  his 
Spouse;  for  in  Her  he  could  find  no  fault  to  exasperate 
him,  nor  had  he  any  suspicion  that  her  love  had  been 
captured  by  any  one  else,  against  whom  or  toward  whom 
his  envy  might  be  aroused  in  defense.  The  jealousy  of 
saint  Joseph  was  founded  entirely  in  his  own  great  love 
for  Her,  in  a  certain  conditional  doubt  or  suspicion  lest 
his  Spouse  had  not  entirely  responded  to  his  own  love; 
for  he  found  no  such  strong  reasons  against,  as  he  did 
for  his  mistrust.  A  greater  uncertainty  was  not  neces- 
sary in  his  case  in  order  to  cause  such  vehement  sorrows ; 
for  in  the  possession  of  a  spouse,  no  rival  can  be  toler- 
ated. Hence,  the  chaste  marital  love  of  our  saint,  which 
filled  his  whole  heart,  was  sufficient  to  cause  in  him  the 
most  vehement  grief  at  the  least  appearance  of  infidelity, 
or  danger  of  losing  this  most  perfect,  most  beautiful  and 
delightful  object  of  all  his  desires  and  thoughts.  For  if 
love  is  in  possession  of  such  just  motives,  strong  and 
unbreakable  are  the  bonds  and  chains  with  which  it  cap- 
tivates the  heart  and  most  powerful  is  the  dominion  which 


324  CITY   OF   GOD 

it  exercises ;  especially  when  there  are  no  imperfections  to 
weaken  it.  Our  Queen  exhibited  nothing  which  either 
in  the  spiritual  or  in  the  natural  order  was  calculated  to 
diminish  or  moderate  this  love  in  her  holy  spouse,  but 
only  what  tended  to  blow  it  into  greater  flame  on  many 
occasions  and  for  many  reasons. 

399.  Full  of  this  sorrow,  which  had  now  become  an 
intolerable  pain,  saint  Joseph,  after  saying  the  prayer 
above  mentioned,  composed  himself  for  a  short  sleep, 
assured  that  he  would  wake  up  at  the  right  time  to  leave 
his  home  at  midnight,  and,  as  he  thought,  without  the 
knowledge  of  his  Spouse.  The  heavenly  Lady  awaited 
the  intervention  of  God,  asking  it  of  Him  in  most  humble 
prayer.  For  She  knew  that  the  tribulation  of  her 
troubled  spouse  had  reached  such  a  high  point,  that  the 
time  of  God's  merciful  assistance  must  have  arrived. 
The  Most  High  sent  his  archangel  Gabriel,  in  order  to 
reveal  to  him  during  his  sleep  the  mystery  of  the  Incarna- 
tion and  Redemption  in  the  words  recorded  in  the  gospel. 
It  might  cause  some  wonder,  (and  such  was  caused  in 
me),  why  the  archangel  spoke  to  saint  Joseph  in  his 
sleep  and  not  while  awake;  since  the  mystery  was  so 
high,  and  so  difficult  to  comprehend,  especially  in  the 
present  afflicted  and  troubled  state  of  his  mind;  while 
this  same  mystery  was  made  known  to  others,  not  while 
they  were  asleep,  but  awake. 

400.  In  these  operations  of  course,  the  last  reason  is 
always  the  divine  will  itself,  just,  holy  and  perfect. 
However,  as  far  as  I  have  understood,  I  will  partly  men- 
tion some  other  reasons  in  explanation.  The  first  reason 
is,  that  saint  Joseph  was  so  prudent,  filled  with  such 
heavenly  light,  and  had  such  high  conception  of  our 
most  holy  Lady,  the  blessed  Mary,  that  it  was  not  neces- 
sary to  convince  him  by  strong  evidence,  in  order  to 


THE   INCARNATION  325 

assure  him  of  her  dignity  and  of  the  mysteries  of  the 
Incarnation;  for  in  hearts  well-disposed  the  divine  in- 
spirations find  easy  entrance.  The  second  reason  is, 
because  his  trouble  had  its  beginning  in  the  senses,  namely 
in  seeing  with  his  eyes  the  pregnancy  of  his  Spouse ;  hence 
it  was  a  just  retribution,  that  they,  having  given  occa- 
sion for  deception  or  suspicion,  should  as  it  were  be  dead- 
ened or  repressed  by  the  privation  of  the  angelic  vision. 
The  third  reason  is  as  it  were  a  sequence  of  this  last 
one:  saint  Joseph,  although  he  was  guilty  of  no  fault, 
was  under  the  influence  of  his  affliction  and  his  senses 
were  so  to  say  deadened  and  incapacitated  for  the  sensi- 
ble perception  and  intercourse  of  the  angel.  Therefore 
it  was  befitting,  that  the  angel  deliver  this  message  to 
him  at  a  time,  when  the  senses,  which  had  been  scandal- 
ized, were  inactive  and  suspended  in  their  operations. 
Thus  the  holy  man  might  afterwards,  regaining  their  full 
use,  purify  and  dispose  himself  by  many  acts  of  virtue 
for  entertaining  the  operation  of  the  holy  Spirit,  which 
had  been  entirely  interrupted  by  his  troubles. 

401.  Hence  will  be  also  understood,  why  God  spoke 
to  the  ancient  Fathers  oftener  during  sleep  than  happens 
to  the  faithful  ones  of  the  evangelical  law;  for  in  the 
new  law  revelation  in  sleep  is  less  frequent  than  direct 
intercourse  with  angels,  which  affords  a  more  efficient 
mode  of  communication.  The  explanation  of  this  fact 
is  this:  since  according  to  the  divine  ordainment  the 
greatest  impediment  and  obstacle  of  a  more  familiar  in- 
tercourse and  converse  of  the  souls  with  God  and  his 
angels  is  the  commission  of  sins,  even  venial  sins  or  even 
only  imperfections,  it  follows,  that,  after  the  divine  Word 
became  man  and  conversed  with  mortals,  the  senses  and 
all  our  faculties  are  purified  day  by  day  by  the  sanctify- 
ing use  of  sensible  Sacraments,  by  which  men  in  some 


326  CITY   OF   GOD 

degree  are  spiritualized  and  elevated,  their  torpid  facul- 
ties aroused  and  made  apt  for  participation  in  the  divine 
influences.  This  blessing  we  owe  in  a  greater  degree  to 
the  blood  of  Christ  our  Lord  than  the  ancients;  for  by 
its  efficiency  we  are  made  partakers  of  his  holiness 
through  the  Sacraments,  wherein  we  receive  the  effects 
of  special  graces,  and  in  some  of  them  even  a  spiritual 
character,  which  destines  and  prepares  us  for  Most  High 
ends.  But  whenever  the  Lord  in  our  times  spoke  or 
speaks  in  sleep,  He  excludes  the  operations  of  the  senses, 
as  being  unfit  and  unprepared  to  enter  into  the  spiritual 
nuptials  of  his  communications  and  divine  influences. 

402.  It  will  also  appear  from  this  doctrine,  that,  in 
order  to  receive  the  hidden  favor  of  the  Lord,  men  must 
not  only  be  free  from  guilt  and  possess  merits  and  grace, 
but  that  they  be  also  in  peace  and  tranquillity  of  spirit; 
for  if  the  republic  of  the  faculties  is  in  disturbance  (as 
it  was  in  saint  Joseph),  the  soul  is  not  in  a  fit  condition 
to  receive  such  exalted  and  delicate  influences  as  are  im- 
plied by  the  visits  and  the  caresses  of  the  Lord.  It  is 
not  at  all  uncommon,  that,  no  matter  how  much  tribula- 
tions and  afflictions  increase  the  merits  of  the  soul  (as 
were  those  of  saint  Joseph,  the  spouse  of  the  Queen), 
they  nevertheless  hinder  the  divine  operations.  For  in 
suffering  them  the  soul  is  involved  in  a  conflict  with  the 
powers  of  darkness,  while  this  kind  of  blessing  consists 
in  the  possession  of  light;  and  therefore  the  vision  of 
darkness,  even  if  only  in  order  to  ward  it  off,  is  not  in 
harmony  with  the  vision  of  God  or  the  angels.  But  in 
the  midst  of  the  conflict  and  the  battle  of  temptations, 
which  may  be  compared  to  a  dream  in  the  night,  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  is  nevertheless  wont  to  be  heard  and 
perceived  through  the  ministry  of  the  angels,  just  as  it 
happened  to  saint  Joseph.    He  heard  and  understood  all 


THE    INCARNATION  327 

that  saint  Gabriel  said:  that  he  should  not  be  afraid  to 
remain  with  his  Spouse  Mary  (Matth.  1,  20,  21),  because 
what  She  bore  in  her  womb,  was  the  work  of  the  holy 
Spirit;  that  She  would  give  birth  to  a  Son,  who  should 
be  called  Jesus  and  who  was  to  be  the  Savior  of  his 
people ;  that  in  all  this  should  be  fulfilled  the  prophecy  of 
Isaias,  who  said  (Is.  7,  14)  :  A  Virgin  shall  conceive  and 
shall  bring  forth  a  Son,  who  was  to  be  called  Emmanuel, 
God  with  us.  Saint  Joseph  did  not  see  the  angel  by 
imaginary  image,  he  heard  only  the  interior  voice  and  he 
understood  the  mystery.  The  words  of  the  angel  imply, 
that  saint  Joseph  had  in  his  mind  already  resolved  to 
sever  his  connection  with  most  holy  Mary;  for  he  was 
told  to  receive  Her  again  without  fear. 

403.  Saint  Joseph  awoke  with  the  full  consciousness, 
that  his  Spouse  was  the  true  Mother  of  God.  Full  of 
joy  on  account  of  his  good  fortune  and  of  his  inconceiva- 
ble happiness,  and  at  the  same  time  deeply  moved  by  sud- 
den sorrow  for  what  he  had  done,  he  prostrated  himself 
to  the  earth  and  with  many  other  humble,  reverential 
and  joyful  tokens  of  his  feelings,  he  performed  heroic 
acts  of  humiliation  and  of  thanksgiving.  He  gave  thanks 
to  the  Lord  for  having  revealed  to  him  this  mystery 
and  for  having  made  him  the  husband  of  Her,  whom  God 
had  chosen  for  his  Mother,  notwithstanding  that  he  was 
not  worthy  to  be  even  her  slave.  Amid  these  recogni- 
tions and  these  acts  of  virtue,  the  spirit  of  saint  Joseph 
remained  tranquil  and  apt  for  the  reception  of  new  in- 
fluences of  the  holy  Spirit.  His  doubts  and  anxieties  of 
the  past  few  months  had  laid  in  him  those  deep  founda- 
tions of  humility,  which  were  necessary  for  one  who 
should  be  entrusted  with  the  highest  mysteries  of  the 
Lord ;  and  the  remembrance  of  his  experiences  was  to 
him  a  lesson  which  lasted  all  his  life.     The  holy  man 


328  CITY   OF   GOD 

began  to  blame  himself  alone  for  all  that  had  happened 
and  broke  forth  in  the  following  prayer:  "O  my 
heavenly  Spouse  and  meekest  Dove,  chosen  by  the  Most 
High  for  his  dwelling-place  and  for  his  Mother:  how 
could  thy  unworthy  slave  have  dared  to  doubt  thy 
fidelity  ?  How  could  dust  and-  ashes  ever  permit  itself 
to  be  served  by  Her,  who  is  the  Queen  of  heaven  and 
earth  and  the  Mistress  of  the  universe  ?  How  is  it,  that 
I  have  not  kissed  the  ground  which  was  touched  by 
thy  feet?  Why  have  I  not  made  it  my  most  solicitous 
care  to  serve  Thee  on  my  knees?  How  will  I  ever  raise 
my  eyes  in  thy  presence  and  dare  to  remain  in  thy  com- 
pany or  open  my  lips  to  speak  to  Thee?  O  my  Lord  and 
God,  give  me  grace  and  strength  to  ask  her  forgiveness ; 
and  move  her  heart  to  mercy,  that  She  do  not  despise 
her  sorrowful  servant  according  to  his  gnilt.  Ah  woe 
is  me!  since  She  is  full  of  light  and  grace  and  She  bears 
within  Herself  the  Author  of  light,  all  my  thoughts  were 
open  to  her  sight,  also  that  I  had  in  my  mind  actually  to 
leave  Her ;  hence  it  will  be  temerity  on  my  part  to  appear 
in  her  presence.  I  now  recognize  my  rude  behavior  and 
my  gross  error;  since  even  with  such  great  holiness  be- 
fore my  eyes  I  gave  way  to  unworthy  thoughts  and 
doubts  concerning  her  fidelity,  which  I  did  not  deserve. 
And  if  in  punishment  thy  justice  had  permitted  me  to 
execute  my  presumptuous  resolve,  what  would  now  be 
my  misfortune  ?  Eternally  be  thanked,  Most  High  Lord 
for  such  great  blessing!  Assist  me,  most  powerful  King, 
to  make  some  kind  of  reparation.  I  will  go  to  my  Spouse 
and  Lady,  confiding  in  her  sweetness  and  clemency; 
prostrate  at  her  feet  I  will  ask  her  pardon,  so  that  for 
her  sake.  Thou,  my  eternal  Lord  and  God,  mayest  look 
upon  me  with  the  eyes  of  a  Father  and  mayest  pardon  my 
gross  error." 


THE   INCARNATION  329 

404.  The  holy  spouse  now  left  his  little  room,  finding 
himself  so  happily  changed  in  sentiments  since  the  time 
he  had  composed  himself  for  sleep.  As  the  Queen  of 
heaven  always  had  kept  Herself  in  retirement,  he  did  not 
wish  to  disturb  her  sweet  contemplation,  until  She  her- 
self desired.  In  the  meantime  the  man  of  God  un- 
wrapped the  small  bundle,  which  he  had  prepared,  shed- 
ding many  tears  with  feelings  quite  different  from  those 
with  which  he  had  made  it  up.  Weeping,  he  began  to 
show  his  reverence  for  his  heavenly  Spouse,  by  setting 
the  rooms  in  order,  scrubbing  the  floors,  which  were  to 
be  touched  by  the  sacred  feet  of  most  holy  Mary.  He 
also  performed  other  chores  which  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  leave  to  the  heavenly  Lady  before  he  knew  her 
dignity.  He  resolved  to  change  entirely  his  relation 
toward  Her,  assume  for  himself  the  position  of  servant 
and  leave  to  Her  the  dignity  of  Mistress.  From  that 
day  on  arose  a  wonderful  contention  between  the  two, 
which  of  them  should  be  allowed  to  show  most  eagerness 
to  serve  and  most  humility.  All  that  happened  with 
saint  Joseph  the  Queen  of  heaven  saw,  and  not  a  thought 
or  movement  escaped  her  attention.  When  the  time 
arrived,  the  saint  approached  the  oratory  of  her  High- 
ness, and  She  awaited  him  with  sweetest  kindness  and 
mildness,  as  I  will  describe  in  the  following  chapter. 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH   THE  HEAVENLY  LADY,   MOST  HOLY 
MARY,   GAVE   ME. 

405.  My  daughter,  in  what  thou  hast  understood  of 
this  chapter,  thou  hast  a  sweet  motive  for  praising  the 
wonderful  ways  of  God's  wisdom  in  afflicting  and  again 
consoling  his  servants  and  chosen  ones;  from  both  the 
one  and  the  other,  He  most  wisely  and  kindly  draws  for 


330  CITY   OF   GOD 

them  increase  of  merit  and  glory.  Besides  this  doctrine, 
I  wish  that  thou  receive  another  one,  most  important  for 
thy  direction,  and  for  the  narrow  pathway,  which  the 
Most  High  has  assigned  to  thee.  It  is  this,  that  thou 
strive  with  all  thy  might  to  preserve  thyself  in  tran- 
quillity and  interior  peace,  without  allowing  thyself  to  be 
deprived  of  it  by  any  troublesome  event  of  this  life  what- 
ever, and  by  always  keeping  in  mind  the  example  and 
instruction  contained  in  this  part  of  the  life  of  my  spouse 
saint  Joseph.  The  Most  High  does  not  wish  to  see  the 
creatures  disturbed  by  afflictions,  but  that  they  gain 
merit;  not  that  they  lose  courage,  but  that  they  test 
their  own  power  when  aided  by  grace.  Although  the 
more  violent  temptations  are  wont  to  close  the  haven  of 
exalted  peace  and  knowledge  of  God,  and  although  they 
ground  the  creature  more  firmly  in  the  knowledge  of  its 
own  lowliness;  yet  if  the  soul  loses  its  interior  tran- 
quillity and  equilibrium,  it  will  make  itself  unfit  for  the 
visit  of  the  Lord,  for  hearing  his  voice,  and  for  being 
raised  up  to  his  embraces.  The  Majesty  of  God  does  not 
come  in  a  stormcloud  (III.  Reg.  19,  12),  nor  will  the  rays 
of  this  supreme  Sun  of  justice  shine,  when  calm  is  not 
reigning  in  the  soul. 

406.  If  then  the  want  of  this  tranquillity  so  hinders  the 
pure  intercourse  of  the  Most  High,  it  is  clear  that  sins 
are  a  still  greater  hindrance  to  this  great  blessing.  I 
desire  that  thou  be  very  attentive  to  this  doctrine  and  that 
thou  do  not  presume  to  allow  any  disregard  of  it  in  any 
operation  of  thy  faculties.  Since  thou  hast  so  often 
offended  the  Lord,  call  upon  his  mercy,  weep  and  wash 
thyself  from  thy  sins  with  copious  tears;  remember  that, 
under  pain  of  being  condemned  as  unfaithful,  thou  art 
obliged  to  watch  over  thy  soul  and  preserve  it  for  an 
eternal  resting-place  of  the  Almighty,  pure,  clean  and 


THE    INCARNATION  331 

undisturbed;  so  that  thy  God  may  possess  it  and  find 
in  it  a  worthy  habitation  (I  Cor.  2,  16).  The  harmony 
of  thy  faculties  and  feelings  is  to  be  like  that  of  the 
music  of  soft  and  delicate  instruments ;  in  which  the  more 
delicate  the  harmony,  so  much  the  greater  is  the  danger 
of  discord  and  so  much  the  greater  must  be  the  care  to 
preserve  the  instruments  from  all  gross  contact.  For 
even  the  atmosphere  infected  by  earthly  tendencies  is 
sufficient  to  disturb  and  spoil  the  powers  of  the  soul  thus 
consecrated  to  God.  Labor  therefore  to  live  a  careful  life 
and  to  keep  full  command  over  thy  faculties  and  opera- 
tions. If  at  any  time  thou  art  disturbed  or  disconcerted 
in  maintaining  this  order,  strive  to  attend  the  divine 
light,  making  use  of  it  without  fear  or  hesitation  and 
working  with  it  whatever  is  most  perfect  and  pure.  In 
this  I  point  out  to  thee  the  example  of  my  spouse  saint 
Joseph,  who  believed  the  angel  without  a  moment's  hesita- 
tion and  immediately  with  prompt  obedience  executed  his 
commands ;  and  thereby  he  merited  to  be  raised  to  great 
reward  and  dignity.  If  he  humiliated  himself  so  deeply 
after  having  had  such  great,  though  only  apparent  rea- 
sons for  anxiety  and  without  even  having  sinned  in  what 
he  did,  how  must  thou,  a  mere  worm  of  the  earth, 
acknowledge  thy  littleness  and  humble  thyself  to  the  dust, 
weeping  over  thy  negligences  and  sins,  in  order  that  the 
Most  High  may  look  upon  thee  as  a  Father  and  as  a 
Spouse. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SAINT  JOSEPH  ASKS  PARDON  OP  THE  MOST  HOLY  MARY, 
HIS  SPOUSE,  AND  THE  HEAVEN1,Y  I,ADY  CONSOI^ES  HIM 
WITH  GREAT  PRUDENCE. 

407.  The  husband  of  Mary,  saint  Joseph,  now  better 
informed,  waited  until  his  most  holy  Spouse  had  finished 
her  contemplation,  and  at  the  hour  known  to  him  he 
opened  the  door  of  the  humble  apartment  which  the 
Mother  of  the  heavenly  King  occupied.  Immediately  upon 
entering  the  holy  man  threw  himself  on  his  knees,  say- 
ing with  the  deepest  reverence  and  veneration:  "My 
Mistress  and  Spouse,  true  Mother  of  the  eternal  Word, 
here  am  I  thy  servant  prostrate  at  the  feet  of  thy 
clemency.  For  the  sake  of  thy  God  and  Lord,  whom 
Thou  bearest  in  thy  virginal  womb,  I  beseech  Thee  to 
pardon  my  audacity.  I  am  certain,  O  Lady,  that  none  of 
my  thoughts  is  hidden  to  thy  wisdom  and  to  thy  heavenly 
insight.  Great  was  my  presumption  in  resolving  to  leave 
Thee  and  not  less  great  was  my  rudeness  in  treating 
Thee  until  now  as  my  inferior,  instead  of  serving  Thee 
as  the  Mother  of  my  Lord  and  God.  But  Thou  also 
knowest  that  I  have  done  all  in  ignorance,  because  I  knew 
not  the  sacrament  of  the  heavenly  King  and  the  great- 
ness of  thy  dignity,  although  I  revered  in  Thee  other 
gifts  of  the  Most  High.  Do  not  reflect,  my  Mistress, 
upon  the  ignorance  of  such  a  lowly  creature,  who,  now 
better  instructed,  consecrates  his  heart  and  his  whole  life 
to  thy  service  and  attendance.     I  will  not  rise  from  my 

332 


THE   INCARNATION  333 

knees,  before  being  assured  of  thy  favor,  nor  until  I  have 
obtained  thy  pardon,  thy  good  will  and  thy  blessing," 

408.  The  most  holy  Mary,  hearing  the  humble  words 
of  saint  Joseph,  experienced  diverse  feelings.  For  with 
tender  joy  in  the  Lord  She  saw  how  apt  he  was  to  be 
entrusted  with  the  sacraments  of  the  Lord,  since  he 
acknowledged  and  venerated  them  with  such  deep  faith 
and  humility.  But  She  was  somewhat  troubled  by  his 
resolve  of  treating  Her  henceforth  with  the  respect  and 
self  abasement  alluded  to  in  his  words;  for  the  humble 
Lady  feared  by  this  innovation  to  lose  the  occasions  of 
obeying  and  humiliating  Herself  as  a  servant  of  her 
spouse.  Like  one,  who  suddenly  finds  herself  in  danger 
of  being  deprived  of  some  jewel  or  treasure  highly 
valued,  most  holy  Mary  was  saddened  by  the  thought 
that  saint  Joseph  would  no  longer  treat  Her  as  an  inferior 
and  as  subject  to  him  in  all  things,  having  now  recog- 
nized in  Her  the  Mother  of  the  Lord.  She  raised  her 
holy  spouse  from  his  knees  and  threw  Herself  at  his 
feet  (although  he  tried  to  hinder  it),  and  said:  "I  my- 
self, my  master  and  spouse,  should  ask  thee  to  forgive  me 
and  thou  art  the  one  who  must  pardon  me  the  sorrows 
and  the  bitterness,  which  I  have  caused  thee ;  and  there- 
fore I  ask  this  forgiveness  of  thee  on  my  knees,  and  that 
thou  forget  thy  anxieties,  since  the  Most  High  has  looked 
upon  my  desires  and  afflictions  in  divine  pleasure." 

409.  It  seemed  good  to  the  heavenly  Lady  to  console 
her  spouse,  and  therefore,  not  in  order  to  excuse  Herself, 
She  added:  "As  much  as  I  desired,  I  could  not  on  my 
own  account  give  thee  any  information  regarding  the 
sacrament  hidden  within  me  by  the  power  of  the 
Almighty;  since,  as  his  slave,  it  was  my  duty  to  await 
the  manifestation  of  his  holy  and  perfect  will.  Not  be- 
cause I  failed  to  esteem  thee  as  my  lord  and  spouse  did 

2-23 


334  CITY   OF   GOD 

I  remain  silent:  for  I  was  and  always  will  be  thy  faith- 
ful servant,  eager  to  correspond  to  thy  holy  wishes  and 
affection.  From  my  inmost  heart  and  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  whom  I  bear  within  me,  I  beseech  thee  not  to 
change  the  manner  of  thy  conversation  and  intercourse 
with  me.  The  Lord  has  not  made  me  his  Mother  in 
order  to  be  served  and  to  command  in  this  life,  but  in 
order  to  be  the  servant  of  all  and  thy  slave,  obeying  thy 
will  in  all  things.  This  is  my  duty,  my  master,  and  out- 
side of  it  I  would  lead  a  life  without  joy  and  full  of 
sorrow.  It  is  just  that  thou  afford  me  the  opportunity 
of  fulfilling  it,  since  so  it  was  ordained  by  the  Most  High. 
He  has  furnished  me  with  thy  protection  and  devoted 
assistance,  in  order  that  I  may  live  securely  in  the  shade 
of  thy  provident  solicitude  and  with  thy  aid  rear  the 
Fruit  of  my  womb,  my  God  and  my  Lord."  With  these 
words  and  others  most  sweet  and  persuasive  most  holy 
Mary  consoled  and  quieted  saint  Joseph,  and  he  raised 
Her  from  her  knees  in  order  to  confer  with  Her  upon  all 
that  would  be  necessary  for  this  purpose.  Since  on  this 
occasion  the  heavenly  Lady  was  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  moreover  bore  within  Her,  as  his  Mother,  the  divine 
Word,  who  proceeds  from  the  Father  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  saint  Joseph  received  special  enlightenment  and 
the  plenitude  of  divine  graces.  Altogether  renewed  in 
fervor  of  spirit  he  said : 

410.  "Blessed  art  Thou,  Lady,  among  all  women, 
fortunate  and  preferred  before  all  nations  and  genera- 
tions. May  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth  be  extolled 
with  eternal  praise,  since  from  his  exalted  kingly  throne 
He  has  looked  upon  Thee  and  chosen  Thee  for  his  dwell- 
ing-place and  in  Thee  alone  has  fulfilled  the  ancient 
promises  made  to  the  Patriarchs  and  Prophets.  Let  all 
generations  bless  Him:  for  in  no  one  has  He  magnified 


THE    INCARNATION  335 

his  name  as  He  has  done  in  thy  humility;  and  me,  the 
most  insignificant  of  the  Hving,  He  has  in  his  divine  con- 
descension selected  for  thy  servant."  In  these  words  of 
praise  and  benediction  saint  Joseph  was  enlightened  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  same  manner  as  saint  Elisabeth, 
when  she  responded  to  the  salutation  of  our  Queen  and 
Mistress.  The  light  and  inspiration,  received  by  the  most 
holy  spouse  was  wonderfully  adapted  to  his  dignity  and 
office.  The  heavenly  Lady,  upon  hearing  the  words  of 
the  holy  man,  answered  in  the  words  of  the  Magnificat, 
as  She  had  done  on  her  visit  to  saint  Elisabeth,  and  She 
added  other  canticles.  She  was  all  aflame  in  ecstasy  and 
was  raised  from  the  earth  in  a  globe  of  light,  which  sur- 
rounded Her  and  transfigured  Her  with  the  gifts  of  glory. 
411.  At  this  heavenly  vision  saint  Joseph  was  filled 
with  admiration  and  unspeakable  delight;  for  never  had 
he  seen  his  most  blessed  Spouse  in  such  eminence  of 
glory  and  perfection.  Now  he  beheld  Her  with  a  full 
and  clear  understanding,  since  all  the  integrity  and  purity 
of  the  Princess  of  heaven  and  mystery  of  her  dignity 
manifested  themselves  to  him.  He  saw  and  recognized 
in  her  virginal  womb  the  humanity  of  the  infant  God  and 
the  union  of  the  two  natures  of  the  Word.  With  pro- 
found humility  and  reverence  he  adored  Him  and  recog- 
nized Him  as  his  Redeemer,  offering  himself  to  his 
Majesty.  The  Lord  looked  upon  him  in  benevolence  and 
kindness  as  upon  no  other  man,  for  He  accepted  him  as 
his  foster-father  and  conferred  upon  him  that  title.  In 
accordance  with  this  dignity.  He  gifted  him  with  that 
plenitude  of  science  and  heavenly  gifts  which  Christian 
piety  can  and  must  acknowledge.  I  do  not  dilate  upon 
this  vast  excellence  of  saint  Joseph  made  known  to  me, 
because  I  would  extend  this  history  beyond  the  pre- 
scribed bounds. 


336  CITY   OF   GOD 

412.  However,  if  it  was  a  proof  of  the  magnanimity 
of  the  glorious  saint  Joseph  and  a  clear  evidence  of  his 
great  sanctity,  that  he  did  not  wear  away  and  die  of  the 
grief  sustained  at  the  thought  of  the  loss  of  his  beloved 
Spouse,  it  is  yet  more  astonishing,  that  he  was  not  over- 
whelmed by  the  unexpected  joy  of  this  revelation  of  the 
true  mystery  connected  with  his  Spouse.  In  the  former 
he  proved  his  high  sanctity;  but  in  the  latter  he  showed 
himself  worthy  of  gifts,  such  which,  if  the  Lord  had  not 
expanded  his  heart,  he  could  neither  have  been  capable  of 
receiving  nor  could  he  have  outlived  to  bear  in  the  joy 
of  his  spirit.  In  all  things  he  was  renewed  and  elevated, 
so  as  to  be  able  to  treat  worthily  Her,  who  was  the 
Mother  of  God  himself  and  his  Spouse,  and  to  co-operate 
with  Her  in  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation  and  in  tak- 
ing care  of  the  Word  made  man,  as  I  shall  relate  farther 
on.  In  order  that  he  might  be  still  more  apt  and  so  much 
the  more  recognize  his  obligation  to  serve  his  heavenly 
Spouse,  it  was  also  made  known  to  him,  that  all  the  gifts 
and  blessings  came  to  him  because  of  Her:  those  before 
his  espousal,  because  he  had  been  selected  for  her  hus- 
band, and  those  afterward,  because  he  had  won  and 
merited  this  distinction.  He  also  perceived  with  what 
prudence  the  great  Lady  had  acted  toward  him,  not  only 
in  serving  him  with  such  inviolate  obedience  and  pro- 
found humility,  but  also  in  consoling  him  in  his  affliction, 
soliciting  for  him  the  grace  and  assistance  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  hiding  her  feelings  with  such  discretion,  tran- 
quilizing  and  soothing  his  sorrow,  thus  fittingly  dispos- 
ing him  for  the  influence  of  the  divine  Spirit.  Just  as  the 
Princess  of  heaven  had  been  the  instrument  for  the  sanc- 
tification  of  saint  John  the  Baptist  and  his  mother,  so  She 
also  was  instrumental  in  procuring  for  saint  Joseph  the 
plenitude  of  graces  in  still  greater  abundance.     All  this 


THE   INCARNATION  337 

the  most  faithful  and  fortunate  man  understood  and  for 
it,  as  a  most  faithful  servant,  was  proportionately  thank- 
ful. 

413.  These  great  sacraments  and  many  others  con- 
nected with  our  Queen  and  her  spouse  saint  Joseph,  the 
sacred  Evangelists  passed  over  in  silence,  not  only  because 
they  wished  to  treasure  them  in  their  hearts,  but  also  be- 
cause neither  the  humble  Lady  nor  saint  Joseph  had 
spoken  of  them  to  any  one.  Nor  was  it  necessary  to  men- 
tion these  wonders  in  the  life  of  Christ  our  Lord,  which 
they  wrote  in  order  to  establish  our  belief  in  the  new 
Church  and  the  law  of  grace ;  for  such  things  might  give 
rise  to  many  inconveniences  among  the  heathens  in  their 
first  conversion.  The  admirable  providence  of  God,  in 
his  hidden  and  inscrutable  judgments,  reserved  these 
secrets  for  a  more  suitable  time  foreseen  in  divine  wis- 
dom. He  wished  that,  after  the  Church  had  been  al- 
ready established  and  the  Catholic  faith  well  grounded, 
the  faithful,  standing  in  need  of  the  intercession,  the  as- 
sistance and  protection  of  their  great  Queen  and  Lady, 
should  draw,  from  the  knowledge  of  these  mysteries, 
new  and  old  treasures  of  grace  and  consolation  (Matth. 
13,  52).  Perceiving  by  new  enlightenment  what  a  lov- 
ing Mother  and  powerful  Advocate  they  had  in  heaven 
with  her  most  holy  Son,  to  whom  the  Father  has  given 
the  power  to  judge  (John  5,  52),  let  them  fly  to  Her 
for  help  as  to  the  only  and  sacred  refuge  of  sinners.  Let 
the  tribulations  and  the  tears  of  the  Church  themselves 
g^ve  witness,  whether  such  times  of  affliction  have  not 
come  upon  us  in  our  days;  for  never  were  her  trials 
greater  than  now,  when  her  own  sons,  reared  at  her 
breast,  afflict  her,  seek  to  destroy  her,  and  dissipate  the 
treasures  of  the  blood  of  her  Spouse  with  a  greater 
cruelty  than  was  done  by  her  most  embittered  enemies. 


338  CITY    OF    GOD 

In  this  crying  need,  when  the  blood,  shed  by  her  chil- 
dren calls  heavenward,  and  much  more  loudly,  the 
blood  of  our  high  Priest  Christ  (Heb.  12,  24)  trodden 
under  foot  and  polluted  under  pretext  of  justice,  re- 
sounds in  anguish,  what  are  the  most  faithful  children 
of  the  Church  doing  ?  Why  are  they  so  speechless  ?  Why 
do  they  not  call  upon  most  holy  Mary?  Why  do  they 
not  invoke  her  aid  and  urge  Her  to  help  ?  What  wonder 
if  help  is  delayed,  since  we  postpone  seeking  Her  and 
acknowledging  Her  as  the  true  Mother  of  God?  I  give 
witness,  that  great  mysteries  are  enclosed  in  this  City 
of  God  and  that  in  lively  faith  we  should  confess  and 
extol  them.  They  are  so  great,  that  the  deeper  insight 
into  them  is  reserved  for  the  time  after  the  general  resur- 
rection, when  all  the  saints  will  know  them  in  the  Most 
High.  But  in  the  meanwhile  let  the  pious  and  faithful 
souls  acknowledge  the  condescension  of  this  their  most 
loving  Queen  and  Lady  in  revealing  some  of  the  great 
and  hidden  sacraments  through  me,  a  most  unworthy 
instrument;  for  I,  in  my  weakness  and  insignificance, 
could  be  induced  to  attempt  this  work  only  by  the 
repeated  command  and  encouragement  of  the  Mother  of 
piety,  as  was  stated  several  times. 

INSTRUCTION  VOUCHSAFED  BY  THE  HEAVENLY  QUEEN  AND 

I,ADY. 

414.  My  daughter,  my  object  in  revealing  to  thee  in 
this  history  so  many  sacraments  and  secrets,  both  those 
which  thou  hast  written  and  many  others,  which  thou 
art  unable  to  manifest,  is,  that  thou  use  them  as  a  mirror 
of  my  life  and  as  an  inviolable  rule  of  action  for  thy  own. 
All  of  them  should  be  engraven  in  the  tablets  of  thy  heart 
and  I  recall  to  thy  mind  the  teachings  of  eternal  life. 


THE   INCARNATION  339 

thereby  complying  with  my  duty  as  thy  Teacher.  Be 
ready  to  obey  and  fulfill  all  commands  as  a  willing  and 
careful  pupil;  let  the  humble  care  and  watchfulness  of 
my  spouse  saint  Joseph,  his  submission  to  divine  direc- 
tion and  his  esteem  for  heavenly  enlightenment,  serve 
thee  as  an  example.  For  only  because  his  heart  had  been 
well  disposed  and  prepared  for  the  execution  of  the  divine 
will,  was  he  entirely  changed  and  remodeled  by  the  pleni- 
tude of  grace  for  the  ministry  assigned  to  him  by  the 
Most  High.  Let  therefore  the  consciousness  of  thy 
faults  serve  thee  as  a  motive  to  submit  in  all  humility  to 
the  work  of  God,  not  as  a  pretext  to  withdraw  from  the 
performance  of  that  which  the  Lord  desires  of  thee. 

415.  However,  I  wish  on  this  occasion  to  reveal  to 
thee  the  just  reproach  and  indignation  of  the  Most  High 
against  mortals ;  so  that,  comparing  the  conduct  of  other 
men  with  the  humility  and  meekness,  which  I  exercised 
toward  my  spouse  saint  Joseph,  thou  mayest  understand 
it  better  in  divine  enlightenment.  The  cause  of  this 
reproach,  which  the  Lord  and  I  have  to  make  against 
men,  is  the  inhuman  perversity  of  men  in  persisting  to 
treat  each  other  with  so  much  want  of  humility  and#love. 
In  this  they  commit  three  faults,  which  displease  the 
Most  High  very  much  and  which  cause  the  Almighty 
and  me  to  withhold  many  mercies.  The  first  is,  that  men, 
knowing  that  they  are  all  children  of  the  same  Father  in 
heaven  (Is.  64,  8),  works  of  his  hands,  formed  of  the 
same  nature,  graciously  nourished  and  kept  alive  by  his 
Providence,  reared  at  the  same  table  of  divine  mysteries 
and  Sacraments,  especially  of  his  own  body  and  blood, 
nevertheless  forget  and  despise  all  these  advantages,  con- 
centrating all  their  interest  upon  earthly  and  trivial 
affairs,  exciting  themselves  without  reason,  swelling  with 
indignation,    creating   discords,    quarrels,    indulging   in 


340  CITY    OF    GOD 

detractions  and  harsh  words,  sometimes  rising  up  to  most 
wicked  and  inhuman  vengeance  or  mortal  hate  of  one 
another.  The  second  is,  that,  when  through  human 
frailty  and  want  of  mortification,  incited  by  the  tempta- 
tion of  the  devil,  they  happen  to  fall  into  one  of  these 
faults,  they  do  not  at  once  seek  to  rid  themselves  of  it 
nor  strive  to  be  again  reconciled,  as  should  be  done  by 
brothers  in  the  presence  of  a  just  judge.  Thus  they 
deny  Him  as  their  merciful  Father  and  force  Him  to 
become  the  severe  and  rigid  Judge  of  their  sins;  for  no 
faults  excite  Him  sooner  to  exercise  his  severity  than 
the  sins  of  revenge  and  hate.  The  third  offense,  which 
causes  his  great  indignation,  is,  that  sometimes,  when  a 
brother  comes  in  order  to  be  reconciled,  he  that  deems 
himself  offended  will  not  receive  him  and  asks  a  greater 
satisfaction  than  that  which  he  knows  would  be  accepted 
by  the  Lord,  and  which  he  himself  offers  as  satisfaction 
to  God's  Majesty.  For  all  of  them  wish  that  God,  who 
is  most  grievously  offended,  should  receive  and  pardon 
them,  whenever  they  approach  Him  with  humility  and 
contrition;  while  those  that  are  but  dust  and  ashes,  ask 
to  be  i^evenged  upon  their  brothers  and  will  not  content 
themselves  with  the  satisfaction,  which  the  Most  High 
himself  readily  accepts  for  their  own  sins. 

416.  Of  all  the  sins,  which  the  sons  of  the  Church 
commit,  none  is  more  horrible  than  these  in  the  eyes  of 
the  Most  High.  This  thou  wilt  readily  understand  by 
the  divine  light  and  in  the  vigor  of  God's  law,  which 
commands  men  to  pardon  their  brethren,  although  they 
may  have  offended  seventy  times  seven.  And  if  a  brother 
offend  many  times  every  day,  as  soon  as  he  says  that 
he  is  sorry  for  it,  the  Lord  commands  us  to  forgive  the 
offending  brother  as  many  times  without  counting  the 
number.    And  those  that  are  not  willing  to  forgive,  He 


THE    INCARNATION  341 

threatens  with  severest  punishment  on  account  of  the 
scandal,  which  they  cause.  This  can  be  gathered  from 
the  threatening  words  of  God  himself :  Woe  to  him  from 
whom  scandal  comes  and  through  whom  scandal  is 
caused !  It  were  better  for  him,  if  he  fell  into  the  depths 
of  the  sea  with  a  heavy  millstone  around  his  neck.  This 
was  said  in  order  to  indicate  the  danger  of  this  sin  and 
the  difficulty  of  obtaining  deliverance  therefrom,  which 
must  be  compared  to  that  of  a  man  dropping  into  the 
sea  with  a  grinding-stone  around  his  neck.  It  also  points 
out  that  the  punishment  is  the  abyss  of  eternal  pains 
(Matth.  18,  9).  Therefore  the  command  of  my  most  holy 
Son  is  good  advice  to  the  faithful,  that  they  rather  per- 
mit their  eyes  to  be  torn  out  and  their  hands  chopped  off, 
than  allow  themselves  to  fall  into  this  crime  of  scandaliz- 
ing the  little  ones. 

417.  O  my  dearest  daughter!  How  thou  must  bewail 
the  wickedness  and  evils  of  this  sin  with  tears  of  blood! 
That  is  the  sin,  which  grieves  the  Holy  Ghost  (Eph.  4, 
30),  affords  proud  triumphs  to  the  demons,  makes  mon- 
sters of  rational  creatures,  and  wipes  out  in  them  the 
image  of  the  eternal  Father !  What  thing  more  unbecom- 
ing, or  hateful  and  monstrous,  than  to  see  creatures  of 
the  earth,  the  food  of  worms  and  corruption,  rise  up 
against  one  another  in  pride  and  arrogance?  Thou  wilt 
not  find  words  strong  enough  to  describe  this  wicked- 
ness, in  order  to  persuade  mortals  to  fear  it  and  guard 
against  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  (Matt.  3,  7).  But  do 
thou,  dearest,  preserve  thy  heart  from  this  contagion, 
stamp  and  engrave  in  it  the  most  useful  doctrine  for  thy 
guidance.  Never  think  for  a  moment,  that  in  offending 
thy  neighbor  or  scandalizing  him  in  this  way,  the  guilt 
can  be  small,  for  all  these  sins  are  weighty  in  the  sight 
of  God.    Place  a  damper  on  all  thy  faculties  and  feel- 


342  CITY   OF   GOD 

ings  in  order  to  observe  most  strictly  the  rules  of  charity 
toward  all  creatures  of  the  Most  High.  To  me  also 
afford  this  pleasure,  since  I  wish  thee  to  be  most  per- 
fect in  this  virtue.  I  impose  upon  thee  as  my  most 
vigorous  precept,  that  thou  give  offense  neither  in 
thought,  word  or  deed  to  any  of  thy  neighbors ;  and  that 
thou  prevent  any  of  thy  subjects,  and,  as  far  as  thou 
canst,  any  other  person  in  thy  presence  from  injuring 
their  neighbor.  Meditate  well  on  this,  as  I  ask  it  of  thee, 
my  dearest;  for  it  is  a  doctrine  most  divine  and  least 
understood  by  mortals.  ^  Serve  thyself  with  the  only 
remedy  against  these  passions :  namely,  with  the  compell- 
ing example  of  my  humility  and  meekness,  the  effect  of 
the  sincere  love  not  only  toward  my  spouse,  but  toward 
all  the  children  of  the  heavenly  Father;  for  I  esteemed 
them  and  looked  upon  them  as  redeemed  and  bought  for 
a  great  price  (I  Pet.  1,  18).  With  true  fidelity  and  in- 
genious charity  watch  over  thy  religious.  The  divine 
Majesty  is  offended  grievously  by  any  one  who  does  not 
fulfill  this  command  expressly  inculcated  and  called  a 
new  one  by  my  Son  (John  15,  12)  ;  but  He  is  roused  to 
incomparably  greater  indignation  against  religious  per- 
sons, who  offend  against  it.  Among  these  there  are 
many,  who  should  distinguish  themselves  as  perfect 
children  of  the  Father  and  Teacher  of  this  virtue;  never- 
theless they  cast  it  aside  and  thereby  become  more  odious 
and  detestable  in  his  sight  than  worldly  persons. 


CHAPTER  V.   . 

SAINT  JOSEPH  RESOLVES  TO  DEVOTE  HIMSELE  ENTIRELY 
TO  THE  SERVICE  OF  MOST  HOLY  MARY ;  THE  BEHAVIOR 
OF  HER  MAJESTY,  AND  OTHER  PARTICULARS  OF  THE 
LIFE  OF  MARY  AND  JOSEPH. 

418.  The  most  faithful  Joseph,  after  being  informed 
of  the  mystery  and  sacrament  of  the  Incarnation,  was 
filled  with  such  high  and  befitting  sentiments  concerning 
his  Spouse,  that,  although  he  had  always  been  holy  and 
perfect,  he  was  changed  into  a  new  man.  He  resolved  to 
act  toward  the  heavenly  Lady  according  to  a  new  rule 
and  with  much  greater  reverence,  as  I  will  relate  farther 
on.  This  was  conformable  to  the  wisdom  of  the  saint 
and  due  to  the  excellence  of  his  Spouse ;  for  saint  Joseph 
by  heavenly  enlightenment  saw  well,  that  he  was  the 
servant  and  She  the  Mistress  of  heaven  and  earth.  In 
order  to  satisfy  his  desire  for  honoring  and  reverencing 
Her  as  the  Mother  of  God,  whenever  he  passed  Her  or 
spoke  to  Her  alone,  he  did  it  with  great  external  venera- 
tion and  on  bended  knees.  He  would  not  allow  Her  to 
serve  him,  or  wait  upon  him,  or  perform  any  other 
humble  services,  such  as  cleaning  the  house  or  washing 
the  dishes  and  the  like.  All  these  things  the  most  happy 
spouse  wished  to  do  himself,  in  order  not  to  derogate 
from  the  dignity  of  the  Queen. 

419.  But  the  heavenly  Lady,  who  among  the  humble 
was  the  most  humble  and  whom  no  one  could  surpass  in 
humility,  so  managed  all  these  things,  that  the  palm  of 
victory  in  all  these  virtues  always  remained  with  Her. 

343 


344  CITY   OF   GOD 

She  besought  saint  Joseph  not  to  bend  the  knees  to  Her, 
for  though  this  worship  was  due  to  the  Lord  whom  She 
carried  in  her  womb,  yet  as  long  as  He  was  within 
unseen  by  any  one  no  distinction  was  externally  manifest 
between  his  and  her  own  person.  The  saint  therefore 
allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded  and  conformed  to  the 
wishes  of  the  Queen  of  heaven ;  only  at  times,  when  She 
was  not  looking,  he  continued  to  give  this  worship  to  the 
Lord  whom  She  bore  in  her  womb,  and  also  to  Her  as 
his  Mother,  intending  thereby  to  honor  Both  according 
to  the  excellence  of  Each.  In  regard  to  the  other  works 
and  services,  an  humble  contention  arose  between  them. 
For  saint  Joseph  could  not  overcome  his  conviction  as 
to  the  impropriety  of  allowing  the  great  Queen  and  Lady 
to  perform  them,  and  therefore  he  sought  to  be  before- 
hand with  such  household  duties.  His  heavenly  Spouse 
was  filled  with  the  same  eagerness  to  seize  upon  occasions 
in  advance  of  saint  Joseph.  As  however  he  busied  him- 
self in  these  duties  during  the  time  which  She  spent  in 
contemplation,  he  frustrated  her  continual  desire  of  serv- 
ing him  and  of  performing  all  the  duties  of  the  house- 
hold, which  She  considered  as  belonging  to  Her  as  a 
servant.  In  her  affliction  on  this  account,  the  heavenly 
Lady  turned  to  the  Lord  with  humble  complaints,  and 
besought  Him  to  oblige  saint  Joseph  not  to  hinder  Her 
in  the  exercise  of  humility,  as  She  desired.  As  this 
virtue  is  so  powerful  before  the  divine  tribunal  and  has 
free  access,  no  prayer  accompanied  by  it  is  small. 
Humility  makes  all  prayers  effective  and  inclines  the  im- 
mutable Being  of  God  to  clemency.  He  heard  Her  peti- 
tion and  He  ordered  the  angel  guardian  of  the  blessed 
husband  to  instruct  him  as  follows:  "Do  not  frustrate 
the  humble  desires  of  Her  who  is  supreme  over  all  the 
creatures  of  heaven  and  earth.    Exteriorly  allow  Her  to 


THE    INCARNATION  345 

serve  thee  and  interiorly  treat  Her  with  highest  rever- 
ence, and  at  all  times  and  in  all  places  worship  the  in- 
carnate Word.  It  is  his  will,  equally  with  that  of  the 
heavenly  Mother,  to  serve  and  not  to  be  served,  in  order 
to  teach  the  world  the  knowledge  of  life  and  the  excel- 
lence of  humility.  In  some  of  the  work  thou  canst 
assist  Her,  but  always  reverence  in  Her  the  Lord  of  all 
creation." 

420.  Instructed  by  this  command  of  the  Most  High, 
saint  Joseph  permitted  the  heavenly  Princess  to  exercise 
her  humility  and  so  both  of  them  were  enabled  to  make 
an  offering  of  their  will  to  God:  most  holy  Mary,  by 
exercising  the  deepest  humility  and  obedience  toward  her 
spouse  in  all  her  acts  of  virtue  which  She  performed 
without  failing  in  the  least  point  of  perfection ;  and  saint 
Joseph  by  obeying  the  Almighty  with  a  holy  and  prudent 
embarrassment,  which  was  occasioned  by  seeing  himself 
waited  upon  and  served  by  Her,  whom  he  had  recognized 
as  his  Mistress  and  that  of  the  world,  and  as  the  Mother 
of  his  God  and  Creator.  In  this  manner  the  prudent 
saint  made  up  for  the  humility,  which  he  could  not  prac- 
tice in  the  works  now  consigned  to  his  Spouse.  This 
arrangement  seemed  to  humiliate  him  more  and  filled 
him  with  a  greater  reverential  fear.  In  this  fear  he 
observed  most  holy  Mary,  always  bearing  in  mind  the 
Treasure  of  her  virginal  womb  and  adoring,  magnifying 
and  praising  the  Lord.  A  few  times,  in  reward  of  his 
holiness  and  reverence,  or  for  the  increase  of  both,  the 
infant  God  manifested  Himself  to  him  in  a  wonderful 
manner:  he  saw  Him  in  the  womb  of  his  purest  Mother 
enclosed  as  it  were  in  the  clearest  crystal.  The  sovereign 
Queen  conversed  with  the  glorious  saint  concerning  the 
Incarnation ;  because  She  did  not  need  to  be  so  reserved 
in  her  heavenly  words,  since  he  had  been  enlightened  and 


346  CITY   OF   GOD 

instructed  in  the  sublime  sacraments  of  the  hypostatic 
union  of  the  divine  and  human  natures  in  the  virginal 
chamber  of  his  Spouse. 

421.  No  human  tongue  can  reproduce  the  celestial 
words  and  conversations  of  the  most  holy  Mary  and  the 
blessed  Joseph.  I  will  adduce  some  of  them  in  the  fol- 
lowing chapters,  as  far  as  I  know  how.  Yet,  who  can 
declare  the  effects  wrought  in  the  sweet  and  devout  heart 
of  this  saint  in  seeing  himself  not  only  constituted  the 
husband  of  Her  who  was  the  true  Mother  of  his  Creator, 
but  in  finding  himself  also  served  by  Her  as  if  She  was 
the  humblest  slave,  while  at  the  same  time  he  beheld  Her 
raised  in  sanctity  and  dignity  above  the  highest  seraphim 
and  inferior  only  to  God?  If  the  divine  right  hand  en- 
riched with  blessings  the  house  of  Obededom  for  having 
sheltered  for  a  few  months  the  figurative  ark  of  the  old 
Testament  (I  Par.  13,  14),  what  blessings  did  He  not 
shower  upon  saint  Joseph,  to  whom  He  entrusted  the 
true  ark  and  the  Lawgiver  himself  enshrined  in  Her? 
Incomparable  was  the  good  fortune  and  happiness  of  this 
saint!  Not  only  because  he  had  with  him  in  his  house 
the  living  and  true  ark  of  the  new  Testament,  the  altar, 
the  sacrifice,  and  the  temple,  all  left  in  his  charge;  but 
also  because  he  cared  for  them  worthily  and  as  a  faithful 
servant  (Matth.  24,  45),  constituted  by  the  Lord  himself 
over  his  family  to  provide  for  all  their  necessities  in  the 
right  time  as  a  most  faithful  dispenser  (Os.  14,  20). 
Let  all  generations  and  peoples  acknowledge  and  bless 
him,  let  them  extol  his  merits;  since  the  Most  High  has 
favored  none  other  in  the  same  degree.  I,  an  unworthy 
and  poor  worm,  in  the  light  of  such  venerable  sacraments, 
exalt  and  magnify  this  Lord  God,  confessing  Him  as 
holy,  just,  merciful,  wise  and  admirable  in  the  disposi- 
tion of  all  his  great  works. 


THE   INCARNATION  347 

422.  The  humble  but  blessed  house  of  Joseph  con- 
tained three  rooms,  which  occupied  nearly  all  its  space 
and  formed  the  exclusive  dwelling  place  of  the  two 
Spouses ;  for  they  kept  neither  a  man-  nor  a  maid-servant. 
In  one  of  the  rooms  saint  Joseph  slept,  in  another  he 
worked  and  kept  the  tools  of  his  trade  of  carpentering; 
the  third  was  ordinarily  occupied  by  the  Queen  of  heaven 
and  was  also  her  sleeping  room.  It  contained  a  couch 
made  by  the  hands  of  saint  Joseph.  This  arrangement 
they  had  observed  since  their  espousal  and  from  the  day 
on  which  they  had  come  to  this,  their  dwelling.  Before 
knowing  the  dignity  of  his  Spouse  and  Lady,  saint  Joseph 
rarely  went  to  see  Her;  for  while  She  kept  her  retire- 
ment he  was  engaged  in  his  work,  unless  some  affair 
made  it  absolutely  necessary  to  consult  Her.  But  after 
he  was  informed  of  his  good  fortune,  the  holy  man  was 
more  solicitous  for  her  welfare,  and  in  order  to  renew 
the  joy  of  his  heart  he  began  to  come  often  to  the  retreat 
of  the  sovereign  Lady,  visiting  Her  and  receiving  her 
commands.  But  he  always  approached  Her  with  extreme 
humility  and  reverential  fear,  and  before  he  spoke  to 
Her,  he  was  careful  to  note  in  what  She  was  engaged. 
Many  times  he  saw  Her  in  ecstasy  raised  from  the  earth 
and  resplendent  with  most  brilliant  light;  at  other  times 
in  the  company  of  her  angels  holding  celestial  intercourse 
with  them;  and  at  other  times,  he  found  Her  prostrate 
upon  the  earth  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  speaking  to  the 
Lord.  Her  most  fortunate  spouse  was  a  participator  in 
these  favors.  But  whenever  he  found  the  great  Lady 
in  these  occupations  and  postures,  he  would  presume  no 
farther  than  to  look  upon  Her  with  profound  reverence; 
and  thereby  he  merited  sometimes  to  hear  the  sweetest 
harmony  of  the  celestial  music,  with  which  the  angels 
regaled  their  Queen,  and  perceived  a  wonderful  frag^ancy 


348  CITY   OF   GOD 

which  comforted  him  and  filled  him  entirely  with  jubila- 
tion and  joy  of  spirit. 

423.  The  two  holy  spouses  lived  alone  in  their  house, 
for  as  I  have  said,  they  had  no  servants  of  any  kind,  not 
only  on  account  of  their  humility,  but  in  order  more 
fittingly  to  hide  from  any  witnesses  the  wonders,  which 
passed  between  them  and  which  were  not  to  be  communi- 
cated to  outsiders.  Likewise  the  Princess  of  heaven  did 
not  leave  her  dwelling,  except  for  very  urgent  causes  in 
the  service  of  God  or  her  fellow-men.  Whenever  any- 
thing was  necessary  She  asked  that  fortunate  neighbor, 
who  as  I  have  said  had  served  saint  Joseph  during  the 
absence  of  Mary  in  the  house  of  Zacharias.  This  woman 
received  such  a  good  return  from  Mary,  that  not  only 
she  herself  became  most  holy  and  perfect,  but  her  whole 
household  and  family  was  blessed  by  the  help  of  the 
Queen  and  Mistress  of  the  world.  She  was  visited  by 
most  holy  Mary  in  some  of  her  sicknesses  and  with  her 
family  was  copiously  enriched  by  the  blessings  of  heaven. 

424.  Never  did  saint  Joseph  see  his  heavenly  Spouse 
asleep,  nor  did  he  of  his  own  experience  know  whether 
She  ever  slept,  although  he  besought  Her  to  take  some 
rest,  especially  during  the  time  of  her  sacred  pregnancy. 
The  resting-place  of  the  Princess  was  the  low  couch, 
which  I  said  had  been  constructed  by  saint  Joseph;  and 
on  it  were  the  coverings  which  served  Her  during  her 
brief  and  holy  sleep.  Her  undergarment  was  a  sort  of 
tunic  made  of  cotton,  but  softer  than  the  ordinary  or 
common  cloth.  This  tunic  She  never  changed  from  the 
time  since  She  left  the  temple,  nor  did  it  wear  out  or 
grow  old  or  soiled,  and  no  person  ever  saw  it,  nor  did 
saint  Joseph  know  that  She  wore  that  kind  of  a  gar- 
ment; for  he  never  saw  any  other  part  of  her  clothing 
except  the  outside  garments,  which  were  open  to  the 


THE   INCARNATION  349 

view  of  other  persons.  Those  were  of  a  gray  color,  as  1 
have  said  (Part  I.  No.  400),  and  these  only  and  her 
head-coverings  were  the  garments,  which  the  Queen 
changed  now  and  then ;  not  because  they  were  soiled,  but 
because,  being  visible  to  all.  She  wished  to  avoid  notice 
by  such  strange  sameness  of  outward  appearance.  Noth- 
ing that  She  wore  upon  her  most  pure  and  virginal  body 
became  soiled  or  worn;  for  She  neither  perspired,  nor 
was  She  subject  to  the  punishments,  which  are  laid  upon 
the  sin-impregnated  bodies  of  the  children  of  Adam.  She 
was  in  all  respects  most  pure  and  the  works  of  her  hands 
were  like  crystal  ornaments;  and  with  the  same  purity 
She  cared  for  the  clothes  and  other  necessities  of  saint 
Joseph.  The  food  of  which  She  partook,  was  most 
limited  in  kind  and  quantity;  but  She  partook  of  some 
every  day  and  in  company  of  her  spouse;  she  never  ate 
meat,  although  he  did,  and  She  prepared  it  for  him. 
Her  sustenance  was  fruit,  fishes,  and  ordinarily  bread  and 
cooked  vegetables;  but  of  all  these  She  partook  in  exact 
measure  and  weight,  only  so  much  as  was  necessary  for 
the  nourishment  of  the  body  and  the  maintaining  of  the 
natural  warmth  without  any  superfluities  that  could  pass 
over  into  excess  of  harmful  corruption ;  the  same  rule  She 
observed  in  regard  to  drink,  although  Her  fervent  acts  of 
love  often  caused  a  superabundance  of  preternatural 
ardor.  This  rule,  as  to  the  quantity  of  her  nourishment. 
She  followed  during  her  whole  life,  although  as  to  the 
kind  of  food  She  adapted  Herself  to  the  various  circum- 
stances demanding  a  change,  as  I  shall  relate  further  on. 
425.  In  all  things  the  most  pure  Mary  exhibited  con- 
summate perfection,  without  any  fault  or  want  of  grace ; 
and  all  her  actions  both  in  the  natural  and  the  super- 
natural order  reached  the  pinnacle  of  excellence.  But 
words  fail  me  in  describing  it:  for  I  am  never  satisfied, 

2—24 


350  CITY   OF   GOD 

seeing  how  far  short  these  words  fall  of  that  which  I 
perceive  and  how  much  more  excellence  this  sublime 
Creature  possesses  than  I  can  express.  Continually  I  am 
grieved  by  my  insufficiency  and  dissatisfied  with  my 
limited  terms  and  descriptions,  fearing  lest  I  presume 
more  than  I  should  in  striving  to  do  that  which  so  far 
exceeds  my  powers.  But  the  force  of  obedience  inspires 
me  with  I  do  not  know  what  sweet  strength,  which 
dispels  my  hesitancy  and  impels  my  backwardness,  en- 
couraging me  to  face  the  greatness  of  my  undertaking 
and  the  smallness  of  my  ability.  I  work  under  obedience, 
and  through  it  I  hope  to  make  great  gains.  It  will  also 
serve  me  as  an  excuse. 

INSTRUCTION  GIVEN  ME  BY  THE  QUEEN  OE  HEAVEN,  MOST 
HOEY   MARY. 

426.  My  daughter,  in  the  school  of  humility,  which 
my  whole  life  affords  thee,  I  wish  that  thou  be  studious 
and  diligent;  and  this  should  be  thy  first  and  principal 
care,  if  thou  wishest  to  enjoy  the  sweet  embraces  of  the 
Lord,  assure  thyself  of  his  favor  and  possess  the  treas- 
ures of  light,  which  are  hidden  to  the  proud  (Matth.  11, 
25).  For  without  the  trusty  foundation  of  humility  such 
treasures  cannot  be  confided  to  any  man.  Let  all  thy 
ambition  be  to  humble  thyself  in  thy  own  estimation  and 
thought,  so  that  in  thy  exterior  actions  thou  mayest  truly 
exhibit  this  humility  of  thy  interior.  It  must  be  a  sub- 
ject of  confusion  and  a  spur  of  humility  for  thee  and  for 
all  the  souls  to  have  the  Lord  as  their  Father  and  Spouse, 
to  see,  that  the  presumption  and  pride  of  worldly  wisdom 
is  more  powerful  in  its  devotees,  than  humility  and  true 
self-knowledge  is  in  the  children  of  light.  Consider  the 
watchfulness,  the  untiring  study  and  care  of  ambitious 


THE   INCARNATION  351 

and  aspiring  men.  Look  upon  their  struggle  to  be 
esteemed  in  the  world,  their  strivings  never  at  rest, 
though  so  vain  and  worthless;  how  they  conduct  them- 
selves outwardly  according  to  the  false  notions  which 
they  have  of  themselves;  how  they  pretend  to  be  what 
they  are  not,  and  how  they  ejcert  themselves  to  obtain 
through  these  false  pretenses  the  treasures,  which,  though 
only  earthly,  they  do  not  deserve.  Hence  it  should  be  a 
cause  of  confusion  and  shame  to  the  good,  that  deceit 
should  urge  on  the  sons  of  perdition  with  greater  force 
than  truth  urges  the  elect ;  that  the  number  of  those,  who 
in  the  world  are  anxious  to  strive  in  the  service  of  their 
God  and  Creator,  should  be  so  small  in  comparison  with 
the  number  of  those  who  serve  vanity ;  that  there  should 
be  so  few  of  the  elect,  though  all  are  called  (Matth.  20, 
16). 

427.  Seek  therefore,  my  daughter,  to  make  progress 
in  this  science  of  humility  and  to  gain  for  thyself  the 
palm  of  victory  in  this  virtue  in  the  midst  of  the  children 
of  darkness;  in  opposition  to  their  pride,  study  what  I 
did  in  order  to  overcome  darkness  in  this  world  by  the 
pursuit  of  humility.  In  this  the  Lord  and  I  desire  thee 
to  be  very  wise  and  proficient.  Never  miss  an  occasion 
of  exercising  humility  and  allow  no  one  to  deprive  thee 
of  such  works;  and  if  occasions  of  humility  fail  thee 
and  are  scarce,  seek  after  them  and  ask  God  to  send 
them  to  you;  for  it  pleases  his  Majesty  to  see  such  kind 
of  anxiety  and  ambition  in  what  He  desires  so  much. 
For  the  sake  of  this  divine  complacency  alone,  thou,  as  a 
daughter  of  his  house,  as  his  domestic  and  as  his  spouse, 
shouldst  be  solicitous  and  anxious  for  acts  of  humility; 
for  in  this,  human  ambition  itself  will  teach  thee  not  to 
be  negligent.  Observe  how  a  woman  in  her  house  and 
family  conducts  herself  in  order  to  benefit  and  advance 


352  CITY   OF   GOD 

her  family,  and  how  she  loses  no  chance  of  advancing  it ; 
nothing  seems  too  much  for  her,  and  if  anything,  no 
matter  how  small  it  is,  goes  to  loss  (Lucas.  15,  8)  she 
becomes  much  excited.  All  this  is  the  effect  of  worldly 
covetousness,  and  there  is  certainly  no  reason,  that  the 
wisdom  of  heaven  be  les^  fruitful  or  less  careful  in  the 
gifts  received.  Therefore  I  desire  thee  to  allow  no  care- 
lessness or  forgetfulness  concerning  what  so  much  con- 
cerns thee,  and  to  lose  no  occasion  of  practicing  humility 
and  laboring  for  the  glory  of  the  Lord ;  but  do  thou  seek 
and  strive  after  his  gifts  and  draw  merits  from  them  as 
a  faithful  daughter  and  spouse.  Then  wilt  thou  find 
grace  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  and  in  mine,  according  to 
thy  desire. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SOMS  OF  THB  SAYINGS  AND  CONVERSATIONS  01^  MOST 
HOLY  MARY  AND  JOSEPH  REGARDING  DIVINE  THINGS/ 
OTHER  WONDERFUL  EVENTS. 

428.  Before  saint  Joseph  had  been  instructed  in  the 
mystery  of  the  Incarnation,  the  Princess  of  heaven  made 
use  of  opportune  occasions  for  reading  to  him  some  of 
the  passages  of  holy  Scriptures,  especially  from  the 
Prophets  and  from  the  Psalms.  As  a  most  wise  Teacher 
She  also  explained  them  to  him,  and  her  holy  spouse  who 
was  indeed  capable  of  the  exalted  truths  contained  therein, 
asked  Her  many  questions,  wondering  at  and  consoling 
tiimself  with  the  heavenly  answers  of  his  Spouse ;  and 
thus  both  of  them  alternately  praised  and  blessed  the 
Lord.  But  after  he  had  himself  become  instructed  in  the 
great  sacrament,  he  conversed  with  our  Queen,  as  with 
one,  who  was  Herself  to  be  the  Coadjutrix  of  the  admira- 
ble works  and  mysteries  of  our  Redemption.  For  now 
they  could  more  openly  and  clearly  discuss  the  divine 
prophecies  and  oracles  concerning  the  conception  of  the 
Word  through  a  Virgin-Mother,  of  his  birth,  his  bring- 
ing up,  and  his  most  holy  life.  All  these  things  her 
Highness  discussed  and  explained,  delineating  beforehand 
the  course  of  action,  which  they  were  to  pursue,  when 
the  longed-for  day  of  the  birth  of  the  Child  should  have 
arrived,  when  She  should  hold  Him  in  her  arms,  nourish 
Him  at  her  breast  with  virginal  milk,  and  when  the  holy 
spouse  himself  should  share  in  this  greatest  of  mortal 
blessedness.    Only  of  his  Passion  and  Death,  and  of  the 

353 


354  CITY   OF   GOD 

sayings  of  Isaias  and  Jeremias,  the  most  prudent  Queen 
spoke  more  rarely ;  for  as  her  spouse  was  of  a  most  kind 
and  tender  heart,  She  thought  it  best  not  to  dilate  upon 
or  anticipate  that  which  he  himself  remembered  of  the 
sayings  of  the  ancient  writers  concerning  the  coming  and 
the  sufferings  of  the  Messiah.  The  most  prudent  Virgin 
also  waited  until  the  Lord  should  grant  more  particular 
revelation  of  what  was  to  happen,  or  until  She  herself 
would  know  better  the  divine  will  in  this  respect. 

429.  Her  most  faithful  and  blessed  husband  was 
wholly  inflamed  by  her  sweet  words  and  conversations, 
and  with  tears  of  joy  he  said  to  the  heavenly  Spouse: 
"Is  it  possible,  that  in  thy  most  chaste  arms  I  shall  see  my 
God  and  Redeemer?  That  I  shall  hear  him  speak,  and 
touch  Him,  and  that  my  eyes  shall  look  upon  his  divine 
face,  and  that  the  sweat  of  my  brow  shall  be  so  blessed 
as  to  be  poured  out  in  his  service  and  for  his  sustenance  ? 
That  He  shall  live  with  us,  and  that  we  shall  eat  with 
Him  at  the  same  table,  and  that  we  shall  speak  and  con- 
verse with  Him  ?  Whence  comes  to  me  this  good  fortune 
which  nobody  can  ever  deserve?  O  how  much  do  I 
regret  that  I  am  so  poor !  Would  I  possessed  the  richest 
palaces  for  his  entertainment  and  many  treasures  to  offer 
Him !"  And  the  sovereign  Queen  answered :  "My  mas- 
ter and  spouse,  there  is  abundant  reason  that  thy  desires 
extend  to  all  things  possible  for  the  reception  of  thy 
Creator;  but  this  great  God  and  Lord  does  not  wish  to 
enter  into  the  world  in  the  pomp  of  ostentatious  riches 
and  royal  majesty.  He  has  need  of  none  of  these  (Ps. 
15,  2),  nor  does  He  come  from  heaven  for  such  vanities. 
He  comes  to  redeem  the  world  and  to  guide  men  on  the 
path  of  eternal  life  (John  10,  10)  ;  and  this  is  to  be  done 
by  means  of  humility  and  poverty;  in  these  He  wishes 
to  be  born,  live  and  die,  in  order  to  destroy  in  the  hearts 


THE   INCARNATION  355 

of  men  the  fetters  of  covetousness  and  pride,  which 
keep  them  from  blessedness.  On  this  account  He  chose 
our  poor  and  humble  house,  and  desired  us  not  to  be 
rich  in  apparent,  deceitful  and  transitory  goods,  which 
are  but  vanity  of  vanities  and  affliction  of  spirit  (Eccles. 
1,  24)  and  which  oppress  and  obscure  the  understanding." 
430.  At  other  times  the  saint  asked  the  most  pure 
Lady  to  teach  him  the  nature  and  essence  of  virtues, 
especially  of  the  love  of  God,  in  order  that  he  might 
know  how  to  behave  toward  the  Most  High  become  man 
and  in  order  that  he  might  not  be  rejected  as  a  useless 
and  incapable  servant.  The  Queen  and  Teacher  of  vir- 
tues complied  with  these  requests  and  explained  to  him 
the  nature  of  true  virtues  and  the  manner  of  exercising 
them  in  all  perfection.  But  in  these  discourses  She  pro- 
ceeded with  so  much  humility  and  discretion  that  She 
did  not  appear  as  the  Teacher  of  her  spouse,  though  such 
She  was;  but  She  managed  to  give  her  information 
under  the  guise  of  conversation  or  in  addressing  the 
Lord,  or  at  other  times  asking  questions  of  saint  Joseph, 
which  of  themselves  suggested  the  information.  In  all 
circumstances  She  knew  how  to  preserve  her  most  pro- 
found humility,  without  permitting  even  the  least  gesture 
not  in  accordance  with  it.  These  alternate  discourses  or 
readings  from  the  holy  Scriptures  they  interrupted  by 
manual  labor  as  occasion  required.  Not  only  was  the 
hard  and  tiresome  labor  of  saint  Joseph  lightened  by  the 
admirable  words  of  sympathy  of  our  Lady,  but  in  her 
rare  discretion  She  also  knew  how  to  add  instruction,  so 
that  his  manual  labor  became  more  an  exercise  of  virtue 
than  a  work  of  the  hands.  The  mildest  Dove,  with  the 
prudence  of  a  most  wise  virgin,  administered  her  conso- 
lations by  pointing  out  the  most  blessed  fruits  of  labor. 
In  Her  estimation  She  held  Herself  unworthy  of  being 


356  CITY   OF   GOD 

supported  by  her  spouse,  and  She  felt  Herself  in  con- 
tinual debt  to  the  sweat  of  saint  Joseph,  as  one  who  is 
receiving  a  great  alms  and  most  generous  gift.  All 
these  considerations  caused  in  Her  sentiments  of  deepest 
obligation,  as  if  She  were  the  most  useless  creature  on 
earth.  Therefore,  though  She  could  not  assist  the  saint 
in  his  trade,  since  that  was  above  the  strength  of  women 
and  unbecoming  the  modesty  and  retirement  of  the 
heavenly  Queen;  yet  in  all  that  was  befitting  Her  She 
served  Him  as  an  humble  handmaid,  since  her  discreet 
humility  and  thankfulness  would  not  suffer  any  less  re- 
turn for  the  faithful  services  of  saint  Joseph. 

431.  Among  other  wonderful  happenings  in  connec- 
tion with  his  intercourse  with  most  holy  Mary  during 
these  days  of  her  pregnancy,  saint  Joseph  one  day  saw 
many  birds  flocking  around  Her  in  order  to  pay  their 
respect  to  the  Queen  and  Mistress  of  all  creatures.  They 
surrounded  Her  as  if  to  form  a  choir  and  raised  up  their 
voices  in  songs  of  sweet  harmony  not  less  wonderful  than 
their  visit  to  the  heavenly  Lady.  Saint  Joseph  had  never 
seen  this  wonder  until  that  day  and,  full  of  admiration 
and  joy,  he  said  to  his  sovereign  Spouse :  "Is  it  possible, 
my  Mistress,  that  these  simple  birds  and  irrational  crea- 
tures should  understand  and  fulfill  their  obligations  better 
than  I?  Surely  it  is  reasonable,  that  if  they  recognize, 
serve  and  reverence  Thee  according  to  their  powers,  that 
Thou  allow  me  to  perform  that  which  in  duty  I  am  bound 
to  do."  The  most  pure  Virgin  answered  him:  "My 
master,  in  the  behavior  of  these  little  birds  the  Creator 
offers  us  a  powerful  motive  worthily  to  employ  all  our 
strength  and  faculties  in  his  praise,  just  as  they  recognize 
and  acknowledge  their  Creator  in  my  womb.  I,  how- 
ever, am  but  a  creature  and  therefore  I  deserve  no  vener- 
ation, nor  is  it  right  that  I  accept  it;  it  is  my  duty  to 


THE   INCARNATION  357 

induce  all  creatures  to  praise  the  Most  High,  since  He 
has  looked  upon  me,  his  handmaid,  and  has  enriched  me 
with  the  treasures  of  the  divinity"  (Luke  1,  48). 

432.  It  happened  also  not  a  few  times  that  the  heavenly- 
Lady  and  her  spouse  found  themselves  so  poor  and  desti- 
tute of  means  that  they  were  in  want  of  the  necessaries  of 
life ;  for  they  were  most  liberal  in  their  gifts  to  the  poor, 
and  they  were  never  anxious  to  store  up  beforehand  food 
or  clothing,  as  is  wont  with  the  children  of  this  world  in 
their  faint-hearted  covetousness  (Matth.  6, 25).  The  Lord 
so  disposed  things  that  the  faith  and  patience  of  his  most 
holy  Mother  and  of  saint  Joseph  should  not  be  vain,  for 
this  indigence  was  a  source  of  incomparable  consolation 
to  our  Lady,  not  only  because  of  her  love  of  poverty,  but 
also  on  account  of  her  astonishing  humility.  She  con- 
sidered Herself  unworthy  of  the  sustenance  of  life,  and 
that  She  above  all  others  should  suffer  the  want  of  it. 
Therefore  She  blessed  the  Lord  for  this  poverty  as  far 
as  it  affected  Her,  while  She  asked  the  Most  High  to 
supply  the  needs  of  saint  Joseph,  as  being  a  just  and  holy 
man  and  well  worthy  of  this  favor  of  the  Almighty.  The 
Lord  did  not  forget  his  poor  entirely  (Ps.  73,  19),  for 
while  He  permitted  them  to  exercise  virtues  and  gain 
merits,  He  also  gave  them  nourishment  in  opportune 
time  (Ps.  144,  15).  This  his  Providence  provided  in 
various  ways.  Sometimes  He  moved  the  hearts  of  their 
neighbors  and  acquaintances  to  bring  some  gratuitous 
gift  or  pay  some  debt.  At  other  times,  and  more  ordi- 
narily, saint  Elisabeth  sent  them  assistance  from  her 
home ;  for  ever  since  She  had  harbored  in  her  house  the 
Queen  of  heaven  this  devoted  matron  insisted  on  sending 
them  a  gift  from  time  to  time,  which  the  humble  Princess 
always  acknowledged  by  sending  in  return  some  work  of 
her  hands.     On  some  occasions,  for  the  greater  glory  of 


358  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  Most  High,  the  blessed  Lady  availed  Herself  of  the 
power  given  to  Her  as  the  Mistress  of  all  creation;  then 
She  would  command  the  birds  of  the  air  to  bring  some 
fishes  from  the  sea,  or  fruits  of  the  field,  and  they  would 
fulfill  her  commands  to  the  point ;  sometimes  they  would 
bring  also  bread  in  their  beaks,  which  the  Lord  had  fur- 
nished them.  Many  times  the  most  fortunate  spouse 
saint  Joseph  was  a  witness  to  all  these  happenings. 

433.  Also  In  other  necessities  they  were  on  some  occa- 
sions succored  by  the  holy  angels  in  an  admirable  manner. 
In  order  properly  to  understand  some  of  the  great  mira- 
cles which  happened  through  the  ministry  of  the  angels 
to  most  holy  Mary  and  Joseph,  it  is  necessary  to  take  into 
account  the  magnanimity  and  generous  faith  of  the  saint, 
for  these  virtues  were  so  great  in  him  that  not  even  the 
shadow  of  covetousness,  or  greediness,  could  find  en- 
trance into  his  soul.  Although  he  labored  for  others,  as 
did  also  his  heavenly  Spouse,  yet  never  did  they  ask  for 
any  wages,  or  set  a  price  on  their  work,  asking  payment 
therefor ;  they  performed  all  their  work  not  for  gain,  but 
in  obedience  to  a  request  or  for  charity,  leaving  the  pay- 
ment of  wages  entirely  in  the  hands  of  their  employers 
and  accepting  it  not  as  a  just  return  for  their  labors,  but 
as  a  freely  given  alms.  This  is  the  perfection  of  sanctity, 
which  saint  Joseph  learnt  from  the  heavenly  example 
given  to  him  in  his  house  by  the  most  holy  Virgin.  Owing 
to  this  circumstance,  that  he  was  not  paid  for  his  work,  it 
happened  sometimes  that  they  were  in  total  want  of  food 
and  sustenance  until  the  Lord  would  provide  for  them. 
One  day  it  came  to  pass  that  the  hour  set  for  their  meal 
passed  without  their  having  anything  in  the  house  to  eat. 
They  persevered  in  prayer  until  very  late,  giving  thanks 
to  the  Lord  for  this  privation,  and  hoping  that  He  would 
open  his  all-powerful  hand  (Ps.  144,  16).     In  the  mean- 


THE   INCARNATION  359 

while  the  holy  angels  prepared  the  meal  and  placed  upon 
the  table  some  fruit,  and  whitest  bread  and  fishes,  also 
especially  a  sort  of  preserve  or  jelly  of  wonderful  and 
nourishing  sweetness.  Then  some  of  the  angels  went  to 
call  their  Queen,  and  others  called  saint  Joseph  her  spouse. 
Each  came  forth  from  their  separate  retirement  and,  per- 
ceiving the  regalement  provided  by  heaven,  they  thanked 
the  Most  High  in  tears  of  fervent  gratitude  and  partook 
of  the  food;  and  afterwards  they  broke  out  in  exalted 
songs  of  praise  of  the  Almighty. 

434.  Many  other  similar  events  came  to  pass  almost 
daily  in  the  house  of  most  holy  Mary  and  her  spouse ;  for 
as  they  were  alone  and  as  there  was  no  need  of  hiding 
these  wonders  from  witnesses,  the  Lord  did  not  hesitate 
to  perform  them  for  his  beloved,  who  were  entrusted 
with  co-operation  in  the  most  wonderful  of  all  the  works 
of  his  powerful  arm,  I  wish  merely  to  remark,  that  when 
I  say  Mary  sang  canticles  of  praise,  either  She  by  Her- 
self or  in  company  with  saint  Joseph  or  the  holy  angels, 
new  songs  are  meant,  such  as  saint  Anne  sang,  the 
mother  of  Samuel,  or  Moses,  Ezechias  and  other 
Prophets,  when  they  were  visited  by  great  blessings  of 
the  Lord.  If  all  the  canticles  (Kings  2,  1 ;  Deut.  32,  1, 
etc.)  which  the  Queen  of  heaven  composed  ^nd  sang 
would  have  been  recorded,  there  would  be  a  large  volume 
of  them,  the  contents  of  which  would  excite  unheard  of 
wonder  in  this  world. 

TEACHING   VOUCHSAFED    ME    BY   THE    SAME   QUEEN    AND 

LADY. 

435.  Much-beloved  daughter,  I  wish  that  the  science 
of  the  Lord  be  many  times  renewed  in  thee,  and  that 
thou  acquire  the  knowledge  of  the  voice  (Wis.  1,  7),  so 


360  CITY  OF   GOD 

that  thou  mayst  know,  (and  let  also  mortals  know),  the 
dangerous  deceit  and  perverse  estimation  in  which  they, 
as  lovers  of  falsehood,  hold  the  temporal  and  visible 
goods  (Ps,  4,  4),  How  many  men  are  not  fascinated  by 
their  unbounded  greed?  All  of  them  ordinarily  stake 
their  hopes  on  gold  and  material  riches;  and  in  order  to 
increase  them,  they  exert  all  the  forces  of  their  natural 
being.  Thus  they  spend  all  the  time  of  their  life,  which 
was  given  them  in  order  to  gain  eternal  rest  and  happi- 
ness, in  these  vanities.  They  lose  themselves  in  these 
dark  labyrinths  and  mazes,  as  if  they  knew  nothing  of 
God  and  of  his  Providence ;  for  they  do  not  think  of  ask- 
ing Him  for  that  which  they  desire,  and  do  not  moderate 
their  desires  in  such  a  way  as  will  dispose  them  to  ask 
and  hope  for  what  they  desire  at  his  hands.  Thus  they 
lose  all,  because  they  confide  in  the  lying  and  deceitful 
prospects  of  their  own  efforts.  This  blind  greed  is  the 
root  of  all  evils  (I  Tim.  6,  20)  ;  for  the  Lord,  incensed 
at  such  great  perversity,  permits  the  mortals  to  be  en- 
tangled in  the  vile  slavery  of  avarice,  in  which  their 
understanding  is  darkened  and  their  will  hardened.  Soon 
the  Most  High,  for  greater  punishment,  withdraws  his 
kindly  care  as  from  creatures  so  detestable  and  denies 
them  his  paternal  protection,  thus  letting  them  fall  into 
what  is  the  deepest  misfortune  that  can  befall  man  in  this 
life. 

436.  Although  it  is  true  that  nothing  can  hide  itself 
from  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  (Ps.  138,  6),  yet  when  the 
transgressors  and  enemies  of  his  law  offend  Him,  they 
forfeit  the  kind  attention  and  care  of  his  Providence  and 
are  left  to  their  own  desires  (Ps.  80,  13).  They  cease 
to  experience  the  paternal  foresight  shown  toward  those 
who  trust  in  the  Lord.  Those  that  confide  in  their  own 
efforts  and  in  the  gold,  which  they  can  touch  and  feel. 


THE   INCARNATION  361 

will  reap  the  fruit  of  their  hopes.  But  just  as  far  as  the 
divine  Essence  and  Power  is  distant  from  the  lowHness 
and  Hmitation  of  mortals,  so  far  also  the  results  of  human 
covetousness  are  distant  from  the  help  and  protection  of 
eternal  Providence  shown  to  the  humble  who  trust  in 
it  (Ps.  17,  31).  Upon  these  his  Majesty  looks  with 
kindest  love,  delights  in  them,  nourishes  them  at  his 
breast,  and  attends  to  their  wishes  and  wants.  I  and  my 
holy  spouse  Joseph  were  poor,  and  at  times  we  suffered 
great  wants ;  but  none  of  them  were  powerful  enough  to 
engender  within  our  hearts  the  contagion  of  avarice.  We 
concerned  ourselves  entirely  with  the  glory  of  the  Most 
High,  relying  wholly  on  his  most  faithful  and  tender  care. 
This  was  what  pleased  Him  so  much,  as  thou  hast  under- 
stood and  written ;  since  He  supplied  our  wants  in  various 
manners,  even  commanding  the  angels  to  help  us  and  pre- 
pare for  us  our  nourishment. 

437.  I  do  not  wish  to  say  that  the  mortals  should  yield 
to  laziness  and  negligence ;  on  the  contrary  it  is  just  that 
all  should  labor  (Ps.  48,  7),  and  doing  nothing  is  also 
a  great  and  very  reprehensible  fault.  Neither  leisure  nor 
solicitude  must  be  disorderly;  nor  should  the  creature 
trust  in  his  own  strength ;  nor  should  he  smother  the 
divine  love  in  anxiety;  nor  seek  more  than  is  necessary 
for  a  temperate  life..  Neither  should  he  fear  that  the 
divine  Providence  will  fail  to  supply  what  is  necessary, 
nor  should  he  be  troubled  or  lose  hope  when  the  Creator 
seems  to  delay  his  assistance.  In  the  same  way  he  that 
is  in  abundance  should  not  (Eccli.  31,  8)  lay  aside  all 
exertion  and  forget  that  he  is  a  man  subject  to  labor  and 
travail.  Thus  riches  as  well  as  poverty  must  be  attributed 
to  God  and  made  use  of  in  a  holy  and  legitimate  way  for 
the  glory  of  the  Creator  and  Ruler  of  all  things.  If  men 
would  observe  this  rule  of  action  nobody  would  be  with- 


362  CITY    OF   GOD 

out  the  assistance  of  the  Lord,  who  is  a  true  Father,  and 
neither  would  the  poor  be  led  into  sin  by  poverty,  nor  the 
rich  by  prosperity.  Of  thee,  my  daughter,  I  require  the 
practice  of  these  rules,  and  through  thee  I  wish  to  incul- 
cate them  on  other  mortals.  Thou  must  especially  im- 
press this  doctrine  upon  all  thy  subjects,  telling  them  not 
to  be  troubled  or  faint-hearted  because  of  the  wants  they 
suffer,  nor  inordinately  solicitous  about  their  eating  or 
clothing  (Matth,  6,  25),  but  that  they  confide  in  the 
Most  High  and  in  his  Providence.  For  if  they  corre- 
spond to  his  love,  I  assure  them  that  they  shall  never 
suffer  from  the  want  of  what  is  necessary.  Exhort  them 
also  to  let  their  words  and  conversations  continually  turn 
about  holy  and  divine  things,  engaging  in  the  praise' and 
exaltation  of  the  Lord  according  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Bible  and  holy  writings.  Let  their  conversations  be  in 
heaven  (Philip  3,  20)  with  the  Most  High,  and  with  me, 
who  am  their  Mother  and  Superior,  and  let  it  be  with 
the  angels,  imitating  them  in  holy  love. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  most  holy  MARY  PREPARES  THE  SWADDLING- 
CLOTHES  AND  THE  LINENS  FOR  THE  DIVINE  INFANT 
WITH   ARDENT  LONGINGS  TO  SEE  IT   BORN. 

438.  The  divine  pregnancy  of  the  Mother  of  the 
eternal  Word  had  already  far  advanced.  Although  She 
knew  that  the  necessary  coverings  and  linens  for  the 
time  of  her  parturition  must  be  provided.  She  wished 
to  proceed  in  all  things  with  the  fullness  of  heavenly 
prudence.  Therefore,  fulfilling  all  requirements  of  an 
obedient  and  faithful  handmaid.  She  presumed  to  arrange 
nothing  without  the  permission  and  consent  of  the  Lord 
and  of  her  holy  spouse.  Although  She  could  have  acted 
for  Herself  in  such  matters  as  pertained  to  her  office  of 
chosen  Mother  and  of  her  most  holy  Son,  She  would  not 
undertake  anything  without  speaking  to  saint  Joseph. 
Therefore  She  said  to  him:  "My  master,  it  is  time 
that  we  prepare  the  things  necessary  for  the  birth  of 
my  most  holy  Son.  Although  his  Majesty  wishes  to 
be  treated  as  one  of  the  children  of  men,  humiliating 
Himself  and  suffering  with  them,  yet  it  is  just  that  we 
acknowledge  Him  as  our  God  and  as  our  true  King  and 
Lord  by  rendering  Him  our  devoted  service,  and  by 
making  careful  provision  for  his  wants  as  an  infant.  If 
thou  give  me  permission  I  will  begin  to  prepare  the  cov- 
erings and  linens  for  his  protection  and  shelter.  I  have 
already  woven  with  my  own  hands  a  piece  of  linen 
which  may  serve  as  his  first  swaddling-clothes;  and  do 
thou,  my  master,  seek  to  procure  some  woolen  cloth  of  a 

363 


364  CITY   OF   GOD 

soft  texture  and  an  humble  color  from  which  I  may  pre- 
pare other  coverings;  and  later  on  I  will  weave  a  seam- 
less tunic  appropriate  for  Him.  In  order  to  avoid  any 
mistake,  let  us  offer  special  prayers  asking  his  Highness 
to  govern  and  direct  us  in  the  right  way,  so  that  we  may 
know  his  will  and  fulfill  his  pleasure." 

439.  "My  Spouse  and  Lady,"  answered  saint  Joseph, 
"if  it  were  possible  to  serve  with  my  own  heart-blood 
my  Lord  and  God  and  thus  fulfill  thy  commands,  I  would 
be  willing  to  shed  it  amid  most  atrocious  torments; 
and  as  I  cannot  do  this,  would  that  I  had  great  riches 
to  buy  the  most  costly  textures  in  order  to  offer  them 
to  Thee  on  this  occasion.  Do  Thou  give  thy  orders  as 
Thou  seest  fit,  for  I  will  serve  Thee  as  thy  servant." 
Both  of  them  betook  themselves  to  prayer,  and  each 
separately  heard  the  answer  of  the  Lord,  repeating  what 
the  sovereign  Queen  had  already  heard  many  times,  and, 
which  now  was  said  in  her  hearing  and  that  of  saint 
Joseph:  "I  have  come  from  heaven  to  the  earth  in 
order  to  exalt  humility  and  discredit  pride,  to  honor 
poverty  and  contemn  riches,  to  destroy  vanity  and  estab- 
lish truth,  and  in  order  to  enhance  worthily  the  value  of 
labor.  Therefore  it  is  my  will  that  exteriorly  you  treat 
Me  according  to  the  humble  position  which  I  have  as- 
sumed, as  if  I  were  the  natural  child  of  both  of  you, 
and  that  interiorly  you  acknowledge  Me  as  the  Son  of 
my  eternal  Father,  and  bestow  the  reverence  and  love 
due  to  Me  as  the  Man-God." 

440.  Encouraged  by  this  divine  voice  to  seek  the 
wisest  course  in  the  rearing  of  the  infant  God,  most  holy 
Mary  and  Joseph  conferred  with  each  other  in  what  way 
they  might  conceal  the  most  noble  and  perfect  worship 
which  was  ever  given  to  the  true  God  by  his  creatures, 
beneath  the  treatment  which  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  was 


THE   INCARNATION  365 

due  to  a  natural  child  of  them  both;  for  this  was  to  be 
the  opinion  of  the  world,  and  such  a  conduct  the  Lord 
himself  had  enjoined  upon  them.  Having  therefore 
come  to  an  agreement  they  lived  up  to  this  command  of 
the  Lord  in  such  perfection  that  they  were  the  admira- 
tion of  all  heaven ;  and  further  on  I  will  say  more  of  this 
(Nos.  506,  508,  536,  545).  They  both  concluded  that 
according  to  the  limited  means  allowed  them  by  their 
poverty  they  were  to  expend  whatever  they  could  afford 
in  the  service  of  the  infant  God  without  going  into 
excess  or  failing  in  anything;  for  the  sacrament  of  the 
King  was  to  be  concealed  in  humble  poverty,  though  at 
the  same  time  they  wished  to  exercise  their  burning  love 
as  far  as  was  possible.  Saint  Joseph,  in  exchange  for 
some  of  his  work,  accepted  two  pieces  of  woolen  cloth 
such  as  his  heavenly  Spouse  had  described ;  the  one  white, 
the  other  mulberry-colored  mixed  with  g^ey,  both  of 
them  of  the  best  quality  he  could  find.  Of  these  the 
heavenly  Queen  made  the  first  little  dresses  of  her  most 
holy  Son,  while  She  prepared  the  swathing  clothes  and 
shirts  from  the  piece  of  linen  which  She  herself  had 
spun  and  woven.  Being  woven  by  such  hands,  it  was 
a  most  delicate  piece  of  cloth.  She  had  commenced  work 
upon  it  from  the  day  of  her  entrance  into  their  house  at 
Nazareth;  for  She  had  intended  it  for  the  temple  as  a 
present.  Although  it  could  now  serve  for  another  much 
higher  purpose,  nevertheless.  She  offered  whatever  re- 
mained of  it  after  She  had  completed  the  furnishings  of 
the  infant  God  as  a  gift  to  the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  ac- 
cording to  her  original  intention.  All  the  articles  and 
coverings  necessary  for  her  divine  Infant  the  great  Lady 
prepared  with  her  own  hands,  and  while  She  sewed  and 
trimmed  them  She  shed  tears  of  ineffable  devotion 
remaining  continually  on  her  knees.     Saint  Joseph  gath- 

2-26 


366  CITY    OF    GOD 

ered  such  flowers  and  herbs  as  he  could  find  from  which, 
together  with  other  aromatic  materials,  the  zealous 
Mother  extracted  fragrant  essences.  With  these  She 
sprinkled  the  sacred  vestments  of  the  Victim  of  sacrifice 
which  She  awaited ;  then  She  folded  and  laid  them  away 
in  a  chest,  in  which  She  afterwards  took  them  along  with 
Her,  as  I  shall  relate  farther  on. 

441.  All  these  doings  of  the  Princess  of  heaven  are  to 
be  thought  of  and  estimated  not  as  being  without  life, 
nude  and  bare  as  I  here  represent  them,  but  of  incom- 
parable grace  and  loveliness,  full  of  sanctity  and  ex- 
alted merit,  of  a  greater  perfection  than  human  intel- 
lect can  comprehend;  because  She  performed  all  these 
works  as  the  Mother  of  wisdom,  and  as  the  Queen  of  all 
virtues.  In  preparing  for  the  appearance  of  the  most 
holy  humanity  of  her  Son  in  this  world,  She  celebrated 
the  dedication  of  the  living  temple  of  God.  The  sov- 
ereign Queen  understood  better  than  all  the  rest  of  cre- 
ation the  ineffable  greatness  of  the  mystery  of  the  Incar- 
nation of  a  God  and  of  his  coming  into  the  world.  Not 
in  a  spirit  of  doubt,  but  inflamed  by  love  and  veneration, 
She  repeated  many  times  the  words  of  Solomon  when  he 
built  the  temple:  "How  is  it  possible  that  God  should 
dwell  with  men  on  earth?  If  all  the  heavens,  and  the 
heaven  of  heavens  cannot  comprehend  Thee,  how  can 
this  human  body  contain  Thee,  which  is  formed  in  my 
womb?"  But  if  the  temple  of  Solomon,  which  served 
only  as  a  place  in  which  God  should  hear  the  prayers 
within  it,  was  built  and  dedicated  with  such  lavish  ex- 
penditure of  gold,  silver,  treasures  and  sacrifices,  what 
should  not  the  Mother  of  the  true  Solomon  do  for  the 
building  up  and  the  dedication  of  the  living  temple 
(Colos.  2,  9)  where  was  to  dwell  the  plenitude  of  the 
true  Divinity,  the   eternal   and   incomprehensible  God? 


THE   INCARNATION  367 

All  these  innumerable  sacrifices  and  treasures  of  the 
figurative  temple,  most  holy  Mary  duplicated  not  in  gold, 
silver,  or  rich  texture,  since  God  sought  no  such  riches 
in  the  living  temple,  but  in  heroic  virtues  and  in  canticles 
of  praise,  by  which  She  fructified  and  extolled  the  graces 
and  gifts  of  the  Most  High.  She  offered  up  the  sacrifice 
of  her  burning  love,  and  ransacked  all  the  holy  writings 
for  hymns,  canticles  and  psalms  to  praise  and  magnify 
this  mystery,  adding  thereto  the  expression  of  her  own 
exalted  sentiments.  In  a  mystical  and  yet  altogether 
real  manner  She  fulfilled  the  ancient  figures  and  types  by 
her  virtues  and  by  her  interior  and  her  exterior  acts.  She 
called  upon  and  invited  all  the  creatures  to  praise  their 
God,  to  give  honor  and  glory  to  their  Creator,  and  place 
the  hope  of  their  santification  in  his  coming  into  the 
world.  In  many  of  these  exercises  the  most  fortunate 
and  blessed  Joseph,  her  spouse,  took  part. 

442.  No  human  tongue  can  describe,  and  no  created 
understanding  can  reach  the  sublime  height  of  merit 
which  the  Princess  of  heaven  attained,  and  the  degree  of 
pleasure  and  complacency  which  they  afforded  the  Most 
High.  If  the  least  degree  of  grace,  which  any  creature 
merits  by  an  act  of  virtue,  is  more  valuable  than  all  the 
created  universe,  what  treasures  of  grace  did  She  not 
gain,  whose  acts  exceeded  in  value  not  only  all  the  sacri- 
fices, offerings  and  holocausts  of  the  old  law  and  all  the 
merits  of  the  human  race,  but  far  excelled  also  those  of 
the  highest  seraphim?  The  loving  extremes  of  the 
heavenly  Lady  in  hoping  to  look  upon  her  Son  and  true 
God,  to  receive  Him  in  her  arms,  nourish  Him  at  her 
breast,  tend  Him  with  her  own  hands,  converse  with  Him 
and  serve  Him,  and  adore  Him  made  man  from  her  own 
flesh,  reached  such  a  pass  that  in  the  ardors  of  love  She 
would  have  breathed  forth  her  spirit  and  have  been  con- 


368  CITY    OF    GOD 

sumed  if  She  had  not  been  preserved  from  dissolution, 
assisted  and  strengthened  by  the  miraculous  intervention 
of  that  same  God.  Yes,  many  times  would  She  have  lost 
her  life,  if  it  had  not  been  preserved  by  her  most  holy 
Son ;  for  many  times  She  saw  Him  in  her  virginal  womb 
and  with  divine  clearness  She  saw  his  humanity  united 
to  his  Divinity,  observed  the  interior  acts  of  that  most 
holy  Soul,  the  conditions  and  postures  of  his  body,  the 
prayers  offered  up  by  Him  for  Her,  for  saint  Joseph,  for 
all  the  human  race  and  especially  for  the  predestined. 
All  these  and  other  mysteries  were  open  to  Her,  and  in 
perceiving  them  She  was  altogether  inflamed  with  the 
desire  of  imitating  and  exalting  Him,  since  She  bore 
within  Her  the  devouring  fires  which  illumine  yet  do 
not  consume  (Exod.  3,  2). 

443.  Amidst  this  conflagration  of  divine  love  She 
spoke  sometimes  to  her  most  holy  Son :  "My  sweetest 
Love,  Creator  of  the  universe,  when  shall  my  eyes  enjoy 
the  light  of  thy  divine  countenance?  When  shall  my 
arms  be  consecrated  as  the  altar  of  the  Victim,  which  is 
awaited  by  the  eternal  Father?  When  shall  I  kiss  the 
earth  trodden  by  thy  divine  feet,  and  when  shall  I  as  thy 
Mother  gain  the  coveted  kiss  of  my  Beloved  (Cant.  1,  1) 
so  that  I  may  inhale  thy  own  Spirit  from  the  flow  of  thy 
breath  ?  When  shalt  Thou,  the  inaccessible  light,  the  true 
God  of  the  true  God,  Light  of  the  Light  (John  1,  9), 
manifest  Thyself  to  us  mortals,  after  so  many  ages  of 
concealment  from  our  view?  When  shall  the  children 
of  Adam,  laden  with  the  guilt  of  their  sins,  know  their 
Redeemer  (Baruch  3,  38),  see  their  salvation,  welcome 
in  their  midst  their  Teacher,  their  Brother  and  their  true 
Father?  O  Light  of  my  soul,  my  strength,  my  Beloved, 
for  whom  dying  I  live!  Son  of  my  womb,  how  can  I 
fulfill  the  ofiice  of  a  Mother,  since  I  know  not  how  to 


THE   INCARNATION  369 

fulfill  the  duties,  nor  merit  the  name  of  even  a  slave? 
How  shall  I  be  able  to  treat  Thee  worthily,  who  am  a 
vile  and  insignificant,  poor  worm  ?  How  can  I  serve  and 
administer  to  Thee,  since  Thou  art  sanctity  itself  and 
infinite  goodness,  and  I  only  dust  and  ashes?  How  can 
I  dare  to  speak  before  Thee,  or  stand  in  Thy  presence? 
Do  Thou,  Master  of  my  being,  who  hast  chosen  me,  the 
little  one  among  the  other  daughters  of  Adam,  govern 
my  conduct,  direct  my  desires  and  inflame  my  affections, 
in  order  that  I  may  please  Thee  with  all  my  powers! 
And  what  shall  I  do,  my  only  Delight,  since  Thou  art  to 
issue  from  my  womb  into  the  World  in  order  to  suffer 
affronts  and  death  for  the  human  race,  if  at  the  same  time 
I  shall  not  be  allowed  to  die  with  Thee  and  accompany 
Thee  in  thy  sacrifice?  Since  Thou  art  my  life  and  my 
being,  let  the  same  cause  and  motive  that  brings  about 
thy  Death  bring  about  also  mine ;  for  they  are  united  as 
if  they  were  one  and  the  same.  Less  than  thy  Death  will 
suffice  to  save  the  world,  yes  thousands  of  worlds;  let 
me  die  instead  of  Thee,  and  let  me  suffer  thy  ignominies, 
while  Thou,  by  thy  love  and  light,  sanctify  the  world  and 
enlighten  the  darkness  of  mortals,  and  if  it  is  not  pos- 
sible to  revoke  the  decree  of  the  eternal  Father,  which 
requires  that  Redemption  be  abundant  (Ephes.  2,  4)  and 
thy  excessive  charity  be  satisfied,  look  graciously  upon 
my  desires  and  let  me  take  part  in  all  the  labors  of  thy 
life,  since  Thou  art  my  Son  and  Lord." 

444.  The  variety  of  these  and  other  sweetest  senti- 
ments of  love  uttered  by  the  Queen  made  Her  most  beau- 
tiful in  the  eyes  (Esth.  2,  9)  of  the  Prince  of  the  eterni- 
ties, who  was  enshrined  in  the  virginal  chamber  of  her 
womb.  All  her  interior  movements  were  conformable  to 
the  actions  of  that  most  sacred  and  deified  Humanity; 
iSt  as  a  worthy  Mother  of  such  a  Son  She  closely  ob- 


370  CITY   OF   GOD 

served  them  as  models  for  her  imitation.  Sometimes  the 
infant  God  would  place  Himself  on  his  knees  in  order 
to  pray  to  the  Father  or  assume  the  position  of  one  cru- 
cified, as  if  in  order  to  exercise  Himself  therein  before- 
hand. From  that  retirement  (as  even  now  from  the 
highest  throne  in  heaven)  He  looked  upon  and  compre- 
hended, by  the  science  of  his  most  holy  soul,  all  that  He 
knows  even  at  this  day,  and  no  creatures  of  the  present, 
past,  or  future,  with  all  their  thoughts  and  actions,  was 
hidden  from  his  view.  To  all  things  He  attended  as 
the  Lord  and  Redeemer,  Since  these  mysteries  were 
manifest  also  to  his  heavenly  Mother  and  since  She  was 
also  endowed  with  all  the  graces  and  gifts  necessary  for 
acting  in  concert  with  Him,  She  brought  forth  such  great 
fruits  of  sanctity,  that  no  human  words  can  ever  describe 
them.  But  if  we  were  not  perverted  in  our  judgments, 
and  if  we  were  not  hardened  as  stone,  we  would  find  it 
impossible,  at  the  sight  and  experience  of  these  vast  and 
admirable  works,  to  remain  untouched  by  loving  sorrow 
and  thankful  acknowledgment. 

INSTRUCTION    WHICH    MARY,    THt    MOST    HOLY    QUEEN, 

GAVE   ME. 

445.  The  lesson  of  this  chapter,  my  daughter,  should 
be,  that  thou  bear  in  mind  with  what  reverence  thou  must 
handle  all  the  things  consecrated  and  devoted  to  the 
divine  service;  and  at  the  same  time  estimate  how  repre- 
hensible is  the  irreverence  with  which  the  ministers  of 
the  Lord  offend  in  their  disregard  for  the  sacred  objects. 
They  should  not  forget  or  slight  the  indignation  of  his 
Majesty  against  them  for  the  gross  discourtesy  and  in- 
gratitude, which  they  ordinarily  show  by  handling  the 
sacred  ornaments  and  objects  of  worship  without  attaia- 


THE   INCARNATION  371 

tion  and  respect.  And  much  greater  is  the  anger  of  the 
Lord  against  those  who  possess  the  incomes  or  stipends 
of  his  most  sacred  blood,  if  they  waste  and  squander  them 
in  vile  vanities  and  indecent  profanities.  They  seek  for 
their  sustenance  and  convenience  what  is  most  costly  and 
valuable,  while  for  the  honor  and  worship  of  the  Lord 
they  are  satisfied  with  what  is  most  cheap,  common  and 
ordinary.  When  this  happens,  especially  in  regard  to 
the  linens,  which  touch  the  body  and  blood  of  my  most 
holy  Son,  such  as  corporals  and  purificators,  I  wish  thee 
to  understand  that  the  holy  angels,  that  assist  at  the  most 
exalted  and  sublime  sacrifice,  are  as  it  were  struck  with 
horror  and  cover  their  eyes  at  the  sight,  full  of  astonish- 
ment that  the  Most  High  bears  with  them  and  suffers 
such  boldness  and  presumption.  Although  not  all  offend 
in  this,  yet  there  are  many;  and  few  distinguish  them- 
selves in  outward  respect  and  care  at  the  divine  cult,  or 
treat  the  sacred  objects  with  due  reverence;  they  are  the 
smaller  number  and  even  they  do  not  all  have  the  pure 
intention,  not  observing  this  due  respect  out  of  reverence, 
but  out  of  vanity  and  for  other  human  ends.  Thus  they 
who  adore  and  worship  their  Creator  in  the  spirit  of  truth 
and  with  a  pure  and  upright  intention  have  become  very 
scarce. 

446.  Consider,  my  dearest,  what  should  be  our  senti- 
ments when,  on  the  one  hand,  we  reflect  on  the  incom- 
prehensible being  of  God,  who  in  his  goodness  has  cre- 
ated us  for  his  honor  and  worship,  establishing  this  as 
the  very  law  of  our  nature  and  of  all  the  created  universe, 
and  when,  on  the  other  hand,  we  see  with  what  ingrati- 
tude men  correspond  to  the  gifts  of  the  most  liberal 
Creator  by  withholding  from  his  service  the  very  things 
intended  for  it,  reserving  for  their  own  vanities  the  most 
costly  and  valuable  and  applying  for  their  Creator  only 


372  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  most  valueless  and  despicable  of  this  world.  This 
fault  is  little  thought  of  and  recognized,  and  therefore  I 
wish  not  only  that  thou  deplore  it  with  true  sorrow,  but 
also  that  thou  make  reparation  for  it  as  far  as  possible 
during  the  time  in  which  thou  art  superioress.  Give  to 
the  Lord  of  the  best,  and  instruct  thy  religious  that  they 
attend  with  a  sincere  and  devout  heart  to  the  keeping 
in  order  and  the  cleaning  of  the  sacred  articles ;  and  this 
not  only  for  their  own  convent,  but  also  by  seeking  to 
furnish  other  poor  churches  with  the  corporals  and  vest- 
ments of  which  they  stand  in  need.  Let  them  be  con- 
vinced that  the  Lord  will  repay  their  holy  zeal  for  his 
worship,  and  that  He  will  relieve  their  poverty  and  the 
necessities  of  their  convent  like  a  Father,  and  that  thereby 
it  will  never  become  poorer.  This  is  the  most  appro- 
priate occupation  and  legitimate  business  of  the  spouses 
of  Christ,  and  in  this  they  ought  to  consume  their  time 
which  may  remain  after  fulfilling  the  obligations  of  the 
choir  and  other  duties  of  obedience.  If  all  the  religious 
would  busy  themselves  purposely  in  these  honorable, 
praiseworthy  and  agreeable  occupations  they  would  never 
suffer  any  want  and  they  would  maintain  an  angelic  ex- 
istence in  this  life.  Because  they  do  not  attend  to  this 
service  of  the  Lord,  many  of  them,  forsaken  by  the  hand 
of  the  God,  turn  toward  the  dangerous  levities  and  dis- 
tractions, which  on  account  of  their  vileness,  I  do  not  wish 
thee  to  describe  or  consider  except  to  deplore  them  from 
thy  heart  and  to  avert  such  displeasure  and  offense  against 
God. 

447.  But  because  I  have  especial  reason  to  look  with 
favor  upon  the  inmates  of  thy  convent,  I  wish  that,  in  my 
name  and  by  my  authority,  thou  admonish  and  lovingly 
urge  them  always  to  live  retired  and  dead  to  the  world, 
with  unbroken  forgetfulness  of  all  that  passes  within  it; 


THE   INCARNATION  373 

that  among  themselves  their  conversation  be  of  heaven, 
and  that  above  all  they  preserve  intact  the  mutual  peace 
and  love,  to  which  I  have  exhorted  thee  so  often 
(Philip  3,  20).  If  they  obey  me  in  this  I  ofifer  them  my 
protection,  and  I  will  constitute  myself  their  Mother,  their 
help  and  defense  in  the  same  way  as  I  am  thine,  and  I 
will  also  promise  them  my  continual  and  efficacious  inter- 
cession with  my  most  holy  Son,  if  they  do  not  displease 
me.  For  this  purpose  thou  shouldst  exhort  them  to  con- 
tinual love  and  devotion  toward  me,  engrafting  it  in  their 
hearts ;  in  being  thus  faithful  they  will  attain  all  that  thou 
wishest  for  them,  and  much  more,  for  I  will  obtain  it  for 
them.  In  order  that  they  may  occupy  themselves  with 
joy  and  alacrity  in  preparing  things  for  the  divine  wor- 
ship, and  gladly  undertake  all  that  pertains  to  it,  remind 
them  of  all  that  I  did  in  the  service  of  my  most  holy  Son 
and  of  the  temple.  I  desire  thee  to  understand  that  the 
holy  angels  were  full  of  admiration  at  the  zeal,  careful 
attention  and  neatness  with  which  I  took  charge  of  all 
that  belonged  to  the  service  of  my  Son  and  Lord.  This 
loving  and  reverent  anxiety  caused  me  to  prepare  all  that 
was  necessary  for  his  rearing  up  beforehand,  so  that  I 
was  never  in  want  of  anything  necessary  for  clothing 
Him  and  administering  to  his  comfort  (as  some  have 
thought)  ;  for  my  prudence  and  love  would  not  permit 
any  negligence  or  inadvertence  in  this  regard. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  EDICT  OE  CiESAR  AUGUSTUS  IS  PUBLISHED,  COM- 
MANDING ALL  SUBJECTS  OE  THE  EMPIRE  TO  REGIS- 
TRATE;  AND  WHAT  SAINT  JOSEPH  DID  WHEN  HE 
HEARD  OE  IT. 

448.  It  had  been  decreed  by  the  immutable  will  of 
Providence  that  the  Onlybegotten  of  the  Father  should 
be  born  in  the  town  of  Bethlehem  (Mich.  5,  2),  and  ac- 
cordingly it  had  been  foretold  by  the  Saints  and  Prophets 
of  foregone  ages  (Jerem.  10,  9)  ;  for  the  decrees  of  the 
absolute  will  of  God  are  infallible,  and  since  nothing  can 
resist  them  (Esther  13,  9),  sooner  would  heaven  and 
earth  pass  away  than  that  they  fail  of  accomplishment 
(Matth.  24,  35).  The  fulfillment  of  this  immutable  de- 
cree the  Lord  secured  by  means  of  an  edict  of  Caesar 
Augustus  for  the  whole  Roman  empire,  ordering  the 
registration  or  enumeration  of  all  the  world,  as  saint 
Luke  says  (Luke  2,  1),  The  Roman  empire  at  that  time 
embraced  the  greater  part  of  what  was  then  known  of 
the  earth  and  therefore  they  called  themselves  masters  of 
the  world,  ignoring  all  the  other  nations.  The  object 
of  this  census  was  to  make  all  the  inhabitants  acknowl- 
edge themselves  as  vassals  of  the  emperor,  and  to  pay  a 
certain  tax  to  their  temporal  lord;  for  this  registration 
every  one  was  to  go  to  his  native  city  in  order  to  be 
inscribed.  This  edict  was  also  proclaimed  in  Nazareth 
and  came  to  the  hearing  of  saint  Joseph  while  he  was  on 
some  errand.  He  returned  to  his  house  in  sorrowful 
consternation  and  informed  his  heavenly  Spouse  of  the 

374 


THE   INCARNATION  375 

news  which  had  spread  about  concerning  the  edict.  The 
most  prudent  Virgin  answered :  "Let  not  this  edict  of 
our  temporal  ruler  cause  thee  any  concern,  my  master  and 
spouse,  for  all  that  happens  to  us  is  ordained  by  the  Lord 
and  King  of  heaven  and  earth;  and  in  all  events  his 
Providence  will  assist  and  direct  us  (Eccli.  22,  28).  Let 
us  resign  ourselves  into  his  hands  and  we  shall  not  be 
disappointed." 

449.  Most  holy  Mary  was  capable  of  being  entrusted 
with  all  the  mysteries  of  her  most  holy  Son  and  She 
knew  of  the  prophecies  and  their  fulfillment ;  hence,  also, 
that  the  Onlybegotten  of  the  Father  and  her  own  was  to 
be  born  in  Bethlehem,  a  Stranger  and  an  Unknown. 
But  She  said  nothing  of  this  to  saint  Joseph;  for  without 
being  commissioned  by  the  Lord  She  would  reveal  none 
of  his  secrets.  All  that  She  was  not  commanded  to  re- 
veal She  concealed  with  admirable  prudence,  notwith- 
standing her  desire  of  consoling  her  most  faithful  and 
holy  spouse.  She  wished  to  entrust  Herself  to  his  direc- 
tion and  arrangement  without  acting  the  part  of  those 
who  are  wise  in  their  own  conceit,  as  Wisdom  warns  us 
(Prov.  3,  7).  They  therefore  conferred  with  each  other 
about  the  course  to  be  pursued ;  for  already  the  pregnancy 
of  the  heavenly  Lady  was  far  advanced  and  her  parturi- 
tion was  approaching.  Saint  Joseph  said:  "Queen  of 
heaven  and  earth  and  my  Mistress,  if  Thou  hast  no  order 
to  the  contrary  from  the  Almighty,  it  seems  to  me  nec- 
essary that  I  go  alone.  Yet,  although  this  order  refers 
only  to  the  heads  of  families,  I  dare  not  leave  Thee  with- 
out assistance,  nor  could  I  live  without  Thee,  nor  would 
I  have  a  moment's  peace  away  from  Thee ;  for  my  heart 
could  not  come  to  any  rest  without  seeing  Thee.  Thy 
heavenly  delivery  is  too  imminent  to  ask  Thee  to  go  with 
me  to  Bethlehem,  whither  this  edict  calls  us;  and  I  fear 


376  CITY   OF   GOD 

to  place  Thee  in  any  risk,  as  well  on  account  of  thy  con- 
dition as  also  on  account  of  my  poverty.  If  thy  delivery 
should  happen  on  the  way,  amid  inconveniences,  which  I 
could  not  alleviate,  I  would  be  heartbroken.  These  are 
the  anxious  thoughts  which  trouble  me.  I  pray  Thee, 
Lady,  present  them  before  the  Most  High  and  beseech 
Him  to  grant  me  my  desire  of  not  being  separated  from 
Thee." 

450.  His  humble  Spouse  obeyed  saint  Joseph  and 
although  She  was  not  ignorant  of  the  divine  will,  yet 
She  would  not  omit  this  act  of  obedience  as  a  most  sub- 
missive Spouse.  She  presented  to  the  Lord  the  fervent 
wishes  of  saint  Joseph  and  received  the  following  answer : 
"My  dearest  Dove,  yield  to  the  wishes  of  my  servant 
Joseph  in  what  he  proposes.  Accompany  him  on  the 
journey.  I  shall  be  with  Thee  and  I  shall  assist  Thee 
with  paternal  love  in  the  tribulations  which  Thou  shalt 
sufiFer  for  my  sake;  although  they  shall  be  very  great, 
my  powerful  arms  will  make  Thee  come  forth  glorious 
from  all  of  them.  Thy  footsteps  will  be  beautiful  in  my 
sight  (Cant.  7,  1),  do  not  fear,  since  this  is  my  will." 
Then  the  Lord  gave  to  the  holy  guardian  angels,  in  the 
presence  of  the  heavenly  Mary,  a  new  and  special  com- 
mand and  precept,  that  they  serve  Her  during  this  jour- 
ney with  particular  care  and  solicitude,  as  befitted  the 
magnificent  mysteries  that  should  be  transacted.  Beside 
the  thousand  angels  which  served  ordinarily  as  her  guard, 
the  Lord  commanded  other  nine  thousand  to  attend  on 
their  Queen  and  Mistress,  and  serve  as  a  guard  of  honor 
ten  thousand  strong  from  the  first  day  of  her  journey. 
This  they  did  as  most  faithful  servants  of  the  Lord,  as 
I  shall  say  later  on  (Nos.  456,  489,  616,  622,  631,  634). 
The  great  Queen  was  renewed  and  strengthened  with 
new    enlightenment    for    the    troubles    and    tribulations 


THE   INCARNATION  377 

which  would  be  occasioned  by  the  persecution  of  Herod 
and  other  happenings  at  the  birth  of  the  infant  God 
(Matth.  2,  16).  Her  invincible  heart  being  thus  pre- 
pared, She  offered  Herself  to  the  Lord  without  any  dis- 
quietude and  gave  thanks  for  all  that  He  should  choose 
to  do  and  arrange  in  regard  to  these  future  events. 

451.  She  returned  from  this  heavenly  interview  to 
saint  Joseph,  and  announced  to  him  the  will  of  the  Most 
High,  that  She  accede  to  his  wishes  and  accompany  him 
on  his  journey  to  Bethlehem.  Joseph  was  filled  with 
new  consolation  and  delight;  acknowledging  the  great 
favor  conferred  upon  him  by  the  right  hand  of  the  Most 
High,  he  gave  thanks  with  fervent  acts  of  gratitude  and 
humility;  and,  addressing  the  heavenly  Spouse,  he  an- 
«5wered :  "My  Lady,  source  of  my  happiness  and  good 
fortune,  the  only  cause  of  grief  in  this  journey  will  now 
be  the  hardships  which  Thou  must  undergo  because  I 
have  no  riches  to  procure  Thee  the  conveniences  which  I 
would  like  to  furnish  for  thy  pilgrimage.  But  we  shall 
find  relations,  acquaintances  and  friends  of  our  family  in 
Bethlehem ;  I  hope  they  will  receive  us  hospitably,  and 
there  thou  canst  rest  from  the  exertions  of  the  journey, 
if  the  Lord  will  dispose  as  I  thy  servant  would  wish." 
Thus  the  holy  spouse  saint  Joseph  lovingly  planned ;  but 
the  Lord  had  already  pre-arranged  all  things  in  a  way 
unknown  to  him;  and  therefore  he  experienced  so  much 
the  greater  bitterness  of  disappointment  when  all  his 
loving  expectations  failed,  as  we  shall  see.  Most  holy 
Mary  said  nothing  to  saint  Joseph  of  what  She  knew 
the  Lord  had  decreed  concerning  the  heavenly  Birth, 
although  She  well  knew  that  it  would  be  different  from 
what  he  expected.  She  rather  encouraged  him,  saying: 
"My  spouse  and  my  master,  I  accompany  thee  with  much 
pleasure,  and  we  will  make  this  journey  as  poor  people 


378  CITY   OF   GOD 

in  the  name  of  the  Lord:  for  the  Most  High  will  not 
despise  poverty,  which  He  came  to  seek  with  so  much 
love.  Relying  on  his  protection  and  assistance  in  our 
necessities  and  labors,  we  will  proceed  with  confidence. 
Do  thou,  my  master,  place  to  his  account  all  thy  difficul- 
ties." 

452,  They  at  the  same  time  resolved  upon  the  day  of 
their  departure,  and  Joseph  diligently  searched  in  the 
town  of  Nazareth  for  some  beast  of  burden  to  bear  the 
Mistress  of  the  world.  He  could  not  easily  find  one 
because  so  many  people  were  going  to  different  towns 
in  order  to  fulfill  the  requirements  of  the  edict  of  the 
emperor.  But  after  much  anxious  inquiry  saint  Joseph 
found  an  unpretentious  little  beast  which,  if  we  can  call 
such  creatures  fortunate,  was  the  most  fortunate  of  all 
the  irrational  animals;  since  it  was  privileged  not  only 
to  bear  the  Queen  of  all  creation  and  the  blessed  fruit 
of  her  womb,  the  King  of  kings  and  the  Lord  of  lords, 
but  afterwards  to  be  present  at  his  Birth  (Isaias  1,  3)  ; 
and  since  it  gave  to  its  Creator  the  homage  denied  to  Him 
by  men,  as  I  shall  relate  (No.  485).  They  provided  the 
articles  for  the  journey,  which  would  last  five  days.  The 
outfit  of  the  heavenly  travelers  was  the  same  as  that 
which  they  had  provided  for  their  previous  journey  to 
the  house  of  Zacharias  on  their  visit  to  Elisabeth.  They 
carried  with  them  bread,  fruit  and  some  fishes,  which 
ordinarily  composed  their  nourishment.  As  the  most 
prudent  Virgin  was  enlightened  regarding  their  pro- 
tracted absence.  She  made  use  of  prudent  concealment 
in  taking  along  the  linens  and  clothes  necessary  for  her 
heavenly  delivery,  for  She  wished  to  dispose  all  things 
according  to  the  exalted  intents  of  the  Lord  and  in  prepa- 
ration for  the  events  which  She  expected.     Their  house 


THE   INCARNATION  379 

they  left  in  charge  of  some  neighbor  until  they  should 
return. 

453.  The  day  and  hour  for  their  departure  for  Beth- 
lehem arrived  and,  because  of  the  reverence  with  which 
the  most  faithful  and  fortunate  Joseph  had  begun  to  treat 
his  sovereign  Spouse,  he  diligently  and  anxiously  sought 
to  do  all  in  his  power  to  please  Her;  he  besought  Her 
with  great  affection  to  make  known  to  him  all  her  wishes 
and  to  call  his  attention  to  all  that  he  might  forget  in 
regard  to  her  pleasure,  convenience  and  comfort,  or  that 
might  please  the  Lord  whom  She  bore  in  her  womb. 
The  humble  Queen  thanked  him  for  his  loving  attention, 
and  referring  it  to  all  the  glory  and  service  of  her  most 
holy  Son,  She  consoled  and  animated  him  to  meet  cour- 
ageously the  hardships  of  the  journey,  assuring  him  anew 
that  the  Almighty  was  pleased  with  his  affectionate  solici- 
tude. She  also  informed  him  of  the  will  of  his  Majesty 
that  they  meet  with  patience  and  joy  of  heart  the  hard- 
ships of  poverty  on  their  way.  In  order  to  begin  her 
journey  the  Empress  of  heaven  knelt  at  the  feet  of  saint 
Joseph  and  asked  him  for  his  blessing.  Although  the  man 
of  God  shrunk  from  such  a  request  and  strenuously  ob- 
jected on  account  of  the  dignity  of  his  Spouse,  She  never- 
theless remained  victorious  in  her  humility  and  prevailed 
upon  him  to  give  Her  his  benediction.  Saint  Joseph 
complied  with  great  timidity  and  reverence,  and  imme- 
diately cast  himself  at  her  feet  in  a  flood  of  tears,  asking 
Her  to  present  him  anew  to  her  most  holy  Son,  and  obtain 
for  him  divine  pardon  and  grace.  Thus  prepared  they 
started  from  Nazareth  for  Bethlehem  in  midwinter,  which 
made  the  journey  more  painful  and  difficult.  But  the 
Mother  of  God,  who  bore  eternal  Life  within  Her,  at- 
tended solely  to  the  divine  activities  and  colloquies  of  the 
Lord,  observing  Him  in  the  virginal  chamber  of  her 


380  CITY    OF    GOD 

womb,  imitating  Him  in  his  works,  and  giving  Him  more 
delight  and  honor  than  all  the  rest  of  creatures  taken 
together. 

INSTRUCTION     WHICH     MOST     HOLY    MARY,     THE    QUEEN 

VOUCHSAFED    ME. 

454.  My  daughter,  in  all  thy  discourse  on  my  life,  and 
in  each  of  the  chapters  and  mysteries  so  far  rehearsed, 
thou  wilt  find  the  admirable  providence  of  the  Most  High 
and  his  fatherly  love  toward  me,  his  humble  servant. 
Although  human  capacity  cannot  fully  penetrate  and 
estimate  the  admirable  works  of  such  high  wisdom,  yet 
it  must  venerate  it  with  all  its  powers,  and  must  seek  to 
participate  in  the  favors  which  the  Lord  showed  me,  by 
striving  to  imitate  me.  For  mortals  must  not  think  that 
only  for  my  sake  and  in  me  God  wished  to  show  Him- 
self as  holy,  powerful  and  infinitely  good.  It  is  certain 
that  if  any  or  all  of  the  souls  would  entrust  themselves 
to  the  direction  and  government  of  this  Lord  they  would 
soon  experience  that  same  fidelity,  punctuality  and  most 
sweet  efficacy  with  which  his  Majesty  arranged  all  things 
that  touched  upon  his  honor  and  service  in  my  life.  They 
would  likewise  taste  those  delightful  and  divine  emotions 
which  I  felt  in  relying  upon  his  most  holy  will ;  nor  would 
they  fail  to  receive  the  abundance  of  his  gifts,  which  are 
enclosed  as  in  an  infinite  ocean  within  his  Divinity.  And 
just  as  the  waters  of  the  ocean  rush  forth  wherever  they 
find  a  suitable  opening,  so  the  graces  and  blessings  of 
the  Lord  overflow  upon  rational  creatures,  when  they  are 
well-disposed  and  do  not  hinder  their  course.  This  truth 
is  hidden  to  mortals  because  they  do  not  stop  to  ponder 
and  consider  the  works  of  the  Almighty. 

455.  I  desire  thee  to  study  this  truth,  to  write  it  within 


THE   INCARNATION  381 

thy  heart,  and  to  learn  from  my  own  actions  the  secret 
workings  of  thy  own  interior  so  that  thou  understand 
what  goes  on  within  thee;  also  that  thou  practice  ready 
obedience  and  subjection  to  others,  always  preferring  the 
good  counsels  of  others  to  thy  own  insight  and  judg- 
ment. Thou  must  carry  this  to  such  a  point  that,  in 
order  to  obey  thy  superiors  and  thy  spiritual  directors, 
thou  take  no  notice  of  what  thou  foreseest  will  happen 
contrary  to  their  expectations;  just  as  I,  when  I  knew 
that  what  my  holy  spouse  Joseph  expected  would  not 
happen  on  our  journey  to  Bethlehem.  And  even  when 
some  equal  or  inferior  command  thee  such  things,  be 
silent  and  hide  thy  better  foreknowledge ;  perform  all  that 
is  no  sin  or  imperfection.  Listen  to  all  with  attention 
and  silence  so  that  thou  mayest  learn ;  in  speaking  be  very 
slow  and  reserved,  for  in  this  consist  prudent  and  care- 
ful intercourse.  Always  bear  in  mind  that  thou  ask  the 
blessing  of  the  Lord  for  all  that  thou  wishest  to  under- 
take, in  order  that  thou  mayest  not  wander  from  what 
is  pleasing  to  Him.  Whenever  thou  hast  an  opportunity, 
ask  also  the  permission  and  blessing  of  thy  spiritual 
father  and  director,  so  that  thou  mayest  not  fall  short  of 
the  greatest  merits  and  perfections  in  thy  works,  and  in 
order  that  thou  mayest  also  give  me  the  pleasure,  which  I 
desire  of  thee. 


2-26 


CHAPTER  IX. 

iTllE  JOURNEY  OP  MOST  HOI^Y  MARY  FROM  NAZARETH 
TO  BETHLEHEM  IN  THE  COMPANY  OE  THE  HOEY 
SPOUSE  JOSEPH  AND  OE  THE  HOEY  GUARDIAN  ANGEES. 

456.  The  most  pure  Mary  and  the  glorious  saint 
Joseph  departed  from  Nazareth  for  Bethlehem  alone, 
poor  and  humble  in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  None  of  the 
mortals  thought  more  of  them  than  what  was  warranted 
by  their  poverty  and  humility.  But  O  the  wonderful 
sacraments  of  the  Most  High,  hidden  to  the  proud,  and 
unpenetrated  by  the  wisdom  of  the  flesh !  They  did  not 
walk  alone,  poor  or  despised,  but  prosperous,  rich  and  in 
magnificence.  They  were  most  worthy  of  the  immense 
love  of  the  eternal  Father  and  most  estimable  in  his  eyes. 
They  carried  with  them  the  Treasure  of  heaven,  the  Deity 
itself.  The  whole  court  of  the  celestial  ministers  ven- 
erated them.  All  the  inanimate  beings  recognized  the 
living  and  true  Ark  of  the  Testament  ( Josue  3,  16)  more 
readily  than  the  waters  of  the  Jordan  recognized  its 
type  and  shadow,  when  they  courteously  laid  open  and 
free  the  path  for  its  passage  and  for  those  that  followed 
it.  They  were  accompanied  by  the  ten  thousand  angels, 
which  as  mentioned  (No.  450),  were  appointed  by  God 
himself  as  the  servants  of  her  Majesty  during  that  whole 
journey.  These  heavenly  squadrons  marched  along  as 
their  retinue  in  human  forms  visible  to  the  heavenly  Lady, 
more  refulgent  than  so  many  suns.  She  herself  walked 
in  their  midst  better  guarded  and  defended  than  the  bed 
of  Solomon,  surrounded  by  the  sixty  valiant  ones  of 

382 


THE   INCARNATION  383 

Israel,  girded  with  their  swords  (Cant.  3,  7).  Besides 
these  ten  thousand  angels  there  were  many  others,  who 
descended  from  heaven  as  messengers  of  the  eternal 
Father  to  his  Onlybegotten  made  man  in  his  most  holy 
Mother,  and  who  ascended  from  earth  as  their  ambassa- 
dors with  messages  and  treaties  from  them  to  the  heavenly 
Father. 

457.  In  the  midst  of  this  royal  retinue,  hidden  from 
the  gaze  of  men,  most  holy  Mary  and  Joseph  proceeded 
on  their  way  secure  that  their  feet  would  not  be  bruised 
by  the  stone  of  tribulation  (Ps.  40,  12),  since  the  Lord 
had  commanded  his  angels  to  be  their  defense  and  watch- 
fulness. This  command  the  most  faithful  ministers,  as 
vassals  of  their  great  Queen,  fulfilled  with  wonder  and 
delight,  seeing  centered  in  a  mere  Creature  such  great 
sacraments,  such  perfections,  and  immense  treasures  of 
the  Divinity,  and  seeing  in  Her  all  this  distinction  united 
to  dignity  and  grace  far  exceeding  their  own  angelic 
capacity.  They  composed  new  songs  in  honor  of  the 
Lord,  whom  they  saw  reclining  as  the  highest  King  of 
glory,  on  his  throne  of  gold  (Cant.  3,  9)  ;  and  in  honor 
of  the  heavenly  Mother,  who  was  like  his  living  and 
incorruptible  chariot,  or  like  the  fertile  ear  of  corn  of  the 
promised  land,  enclosing  the  living  grain  (Lev.  23,  10)  ; 
or  like  the  rich  merchant  ship,  which  brings  the  grain  to 
the  house  of  bread,  in  order  that  dying  in  the  earth  it 
might  be  multiplied  for  heaven  (John  12,  24).  Their 
journey  lasted  five  days,  for  on  account  of  the  pregnancy 
of  his  Spouse,  saint  Joseph  shortened  each  day's  journey. 
The  sovereign  Queen  experienced  no  darkness  of  night 
on  the  way ;  for  a  few  times,  when  their  travel  extended 
beyond  nightfall  the  holy  angels  spread  about  such 
effulgence  as  not  all  the  lights  of  heaven  in  their  noontide 
splendor  would  have  thrown  forth  in  the  clearest  heavens. 


384  CITY   OF   GOD 

This  light  and  vision  of  the  angels  also  saint  Joseph 
enjoyed  at  those  times;  then  all  of  them  together  would 
form  celestial  choirs,  in  which  they  and  the  two  holy 
travelers  alternated  in  singing  wonderful  hymns  and 
canticles  of  praise,  converting  the  fields  into  new  heavens. 
During  this  whole  journey  the  Queen  was  rejoiced  by 
the  sight  of  her  resplendent  ministers  and  vassals  and  by 
the  sweet  interior  conversation  held  with  them. 

458.  With  these  wonderful  favors  and  delights,  how- 
ever, the  Lprd  joined  some  hardships  and  inconveniences, 
which  the  divine  Mother  encountered  on  the  way.  For 
the  concourse  of  people  in  the  taverns,  occasioned  by  the 
imperial  edict,  was  very  disagreeable  and  annoying  to  the 
modest  and  retiring  Virgin-Mother  and  her  spouse.  On 
account  of  their  poverty  and  timid  retirement  they  were 
treated  with  less  hospitality  and  consideration  than  others, 
especially  the  well-to-do ;  for  the  world  judges  and  usually 
confers  its  favors  according  to  outward  appearance  and 
according  to  personal  influence.  Our  holy  pilgrims  were 
obliged  repeatedly  to  listen  to  sharp  reprimands  in  the 
taverns,  at  which  they  arrived  tired  out  by  their  journey, 
and  in  some  of  them  they  were  refused  admittance  as 
worthless  and  despicable  people.  Several  times  they  as- 
signed to  the  Mistress  of  heaven  and  earth  some  corner 
of  the  hallway ;  while  at  others  She  did  not  fare  even  so 
well,  being  obliged  to  retire  with  her  husband  to  places 
still  more  humble  and  unbecoming  in  the  estimation  of 
the  world.  But  in  whatever  places  She  tarried,  how  con- 
temptible soever  it  might  be  considered,  the  courtiers  of 
heaven  established  their  court  around  their  supreme  King 
and  sovereign  Queen.  Immediately  they  surrounded  and 
enclosed  them  like  an  impenetrable  wall,  securing  the 
bridal  chamber  of  Solomon  against  the  terrors  of  the 
night.     Her   most   faithful   spouse  Joseph,    seeing  the 


THE   INCARNATION  385 

Mistress  of  heaven  so  well  guarded  by  the  angelic  hosts, 
betook  himself  to  rest  and  sleep;  for  to  this  She  urged 
him  on  account  of  the  hardships  of  travel.  She,  how- 
ever, continued  her  celestial  colloquies  with  the  ten 
thousand  angels  of  her  retinue. 

459.  Solomon,  in  the  Canticles,  describes  in  diverse 
metaphors  and  similitudes  many  great  mysteries  of  the 
Queen  of  heaven,  but  in  the  third  chapter  he  refers  more 
particularly  to  what  happened  to  the  heavenly  Mother  in 
her  pregnancy  and  during  this  journey.  During  this 
time  was  fulfilled  to  the  letter  all  that  is  said  of  the  couch 
of  Solomon  (Cant.  3,  7),  of  his  chariot  and  of  his  golden 
bed,  of  the  guard,  which  was  stationed  around  it  enjoying 
the  divine  vision;  also  all  the  other  sayings,  which  are 
contained  in  those  prophecies.  What  I  have  pointed  out 
will  suffice  to  make  them  understood,  and  they  should 
excite  our  admiration  of  the  wonderful  sacraments  of 
God's  activity  for  the  good  of  man.  Who  is  there  among 
mortals  whose  heart  is  not  softened?  Or  who  is  so 
proud  as  not  to  be  abashed  ?  Or  so  careless  as  not  to  be 
filled  with  wonder  at  such  miraculous  extremes?  The 
infinite  and  true  God  hidden  and  concealed  in  the  virginal 
womb  of  a  tender  Maiden,  full  of  grace  and  beauty,  inno- 
cent, pure,  sweet,  pleasing  and  amiable  in  the  eyeS  of  God 
and  of  men,  surpassing  all  that  the  Lord  God  has  ever 
or  shall  ever  create !  To  see  this  great  Lady,  bearing  the 
treasure  oi  the  Divinity,  despised,  persecuted,  neglected, 
and  cast  out  by  the  blind  ignorance  and  pride  of  the 
world !  And  on  the  other  hand,  while  She  is  thus  pushed 
aside  into  the  last  places,  to  see  Her  loved  and  esteemed 
by  the  triune  God,  regaled  by  his  caresses,  served  by 
his  angels,  revered,  defended  and  assisted  with  the  greatest 
anxiety  and  watchfulness !     O  children  of  men,  slow  and 


386  CITY   OF   GOD 

hard  of  hearts !  ( Ps.  4,  3 ) .  How  deceitful  are  your  ways 
and  how  erroneous  is  your  judgment  in  esteeming  the  rich 
and  despising  the  poor  (James  2,  2),  exalting  the  proud 
and  humiliating  the  lowly,  applauding  the  braggarts  and 
casting  out  the  just!  Blind  is  your  choice  and  full  of 
error  your  judgment,  and  you  will  find  yourselves  frus- 
trated in  all  your  desires.  Ambitiously  you  seek  riches 
and  treasures,  and  you  find  yourself  in  poverty  beating 
the  air;  if  you  had  received  the  true  ark  of  God,  you 
would  have  been  blessed  by  the  hand  of  the  Almighty, 
like  Obededom  (II  Kings,  6,  11)  ;  but  because  you  have 
treated  it  unworthily,  many  of  you  have  experienced  the 
punishment  of  Oza. 

460.  The  heavenly  Lady  observed  and  knew  the 
secrets  of  the  different  souls  of  those  She  met,  penetrating 
into  the  very  thoughts  and  conditions  of  each,  whether 
of  grace  or  of  guilt  in  their  different  degrees.  Concern- 
ing many  souls  She  also  knew  whether  they  were  pre- 
destined or  reprobate,  whether  they  would  persevere,  fall, 
or  again  rise  up.  All  this  variety  of  insight  moved  Her 
to  the  exercise  of  heroic  virtues  as  well  in  regard  to  the 
ones  as  to  the  others.  For  many  of  them  She  obtained 
the  grace  of  perseverance,  for  others  efficacious  help  to 
rise  from  their  sin  to  grace ;  for  others  again  She  prayed 
to  the  Lord  with  affectionate  tears,  feeling  intensest 
sorrow  for  the  reprobate,  though  She  did  not  pray  as 
efficaciously  for  them.  Many  times,  worn  out  by  these 
sorrows,  much  more  than  by  the  hardships  of  travel,  the 
strength  of  her  body  gave  way;  on  such  occasions  the 
holy  angels,  full  of  refulgent  light  and  beauty,  bore  Her 
up  in  their  arms,  in  order  that  She  might  rest  and 
recuperate.  The  sick,  afflicted  and  indigent  whom  She 
met  on  the  way,  She  consoled  and  assisted  by  asking  her 


THE   INCARNATION  387 

most  holy  Son  to  come  to  their  aid  in  their  necessities 
and  adversities.  She  kept  Herself  silently  aloof  from  the 
multitude,  preoccupied  with  the  Fruit  of  her  divine  preg- 
nancy, which  was  already  evident  to  all.  Such  was  the 
return  which  the  Mother  of  mercy  made  for  the  inhos- 
pitality  of  mortals. 

461.  For  the  greater  reproach  of  human  ingratitude,  it 
happened  also  that  once  during  these  wintry  days  they 
reached  a  stopping-place  in  the  midst  of  a  cold  rain  and 
snow  storm  (for  the  Lord  did  not  spare  them  this  in- 
convenience), and  they  were  obliged  to  take  shelter  in 
the  stables  of  the  animals,  because  the  owners  would  not 
furnish  better  accommodation.  The  irrational  beasts 
showed  them  the  courtesy  and  kindness  which  was  re- 
fused by  their  human  fellow-beings;  for  they  retreated 
in  reverence  at  the  entrance  of  their  Maker  and  of  his 
Mother,  who  carried  Him  in  her  virginal  womb.  It  is 
true  the  Queen  of  creation  could  command  the  winds,  the 
frost  and  the  snow  not  to  inconvenience  Her;  but  She 
would  not  give  such  a  command  in  order  not  to  deprive 
Herself  of  suffering  in  imitation  of  her  most  holy  Son, 
even  before  He  came  forth  into  the  world.  Therefore 
the  inclemencies  of  the  weather  affected  Her  to  a  certain 
extent.  The  faithful  saint  Joseph,  however,  did  his 
utmost  to  shield  Her;  and  still  more  did  the  holy  angels 
seek  to  protect  Her,  especially  the  holy  prince  Michael, 
who  remained  at  the  right  side  of  his  Queen  without 
leaving  Her  even  for  a  moment ;  several  times,  when  She 
became  tired,  He  led  Her  by  the  arm  along  the  way. 
Whenever  the  Lord  permitted,  he  also  shielded  Her 
against  the  weather  and  performed  many  other  services 
for  the  heavenly  Queen  and  the  blessed  Fruit  of  her 
womb,  Jesus. 


388  CITY   OF   GOD 

462.  Thus  variously  and  wonderfully  assisted,  our 
travelers  arrived  at  the  town  of  Bethlehem  at  four  o'clock 
of  the  fifth  day,  a  Saturday.  As  it  was  at  the  time  of 
the  winter  solstice,  the  sun  was  already  sinking  and  the 
night  was  falling.  They  entered  the  town,  and  wandered 
through  many  streets  in  search  of  a  lodging-house  or  inn 
for  staying  over  night.  They  knocked  at  the  doors  of 
their  acquaintances  and  nearer  family  relations ;  but  they 
were  admitted  nowhere  and  in  many  places  they  met  with 
harsh  words  and  insults.  The  most  modest  Queen  fol- 
lowed her  spouse  through  the  crowds  of  people,  while  he 
went  from  house  to  house  and  from  door  to  door.  Al- 
though She  knew  that  the  hearts  and  the  houses  of  men 
were  to  be  closed  to  them,  and  although  to  expose  her 
state  at  her  age  to  the  public  gaze  was  more  painful  to 
her  modesty  than  their  failure  to  procure  a  night- 
lodging.  She  nevertheless  wished  to  obey  saint  Joseph 
and  suffer  this  indignity  and  unmerited  shame.  While 
wandering  through  the  streets  they  passed  the  office  of 
the  public  registry  and  they  inscribed  their  names  and 
paid  the  fiscal  tribute  in  order  to  comply  with  the  edict 
and  not  be  obliged  to  return.  They  continued  their 
search,  betaking  themselves  to  other  houses.  But  having 
already  applied  at  more  than  fifty  different  places,  they 
found  themselves  rejected  and  sent  away  from  them  all. 
The  heavenly  spirits  were  filled  with  astonishment  at 
these  exalted  mysteries  of  the  Most  High,  which  mani- 
fested the  patience  and  meekness  of  his  Virgin  Mother 
and  the  unfeeling  hardness  of  men.  At  the  same  time 
they  blessed  the  Almighty  in  his  works  and  hidden  sacra- 
ments, since  from  that  day  on  He  began  to  exalt  and 
honor  poverty  and  humility  among  men. 

463.  It   was   nine   o'clock   at   night   when   the   most 


THE   INCARNATION  389 

faithful  Joseph,  full  of  bitter  and  heartrending-  sorrow, 
returned  to  his  most  prudent  Spouse  and  said:  "My 
sweetest  Lady,  my  heart  is  broken  with  sorrow  at  the 
thought  of  not  only  not  being  able  to  shelter  Thee  as 
Thou  deservest  and  as  I  desire,  but  in  not  being  able  to 
offer  Thee  even  any  kind  of  protection  from  the  weather, 
or  a  place  of  rest,  a  thing  rarely  or  never  denied  to  the 
most  poor  and  despised  in  the  world.  No  doubt  heaven, 
in  thus  allowing  the  hearts  of  men  to  be  so  unmoved  as 
to  refuse  us  a  night-lodging,  conceals  some  mystery.  I 
now  remember.  Lady,  that  outside  the  city  walls  there  is 
a  cave,  which  serves  as  a  shelter  for  shepherds  and  their 
flocks.  Let  us  seek  it  out ;  perhaps  it  is  unoccupied,  and 
we  may  there  expect  some  assistance  from  heaven,  since 
we  receive  none  from  men  on  earth."  The  most  prudent 
Virgin  answered:  "My  spouse  and  my  master,  let  not 
thy  kindest  heart  be  afflicted  because  the  ardent  wishes 
which  the  love  of  thy  Lord  excites  in  thee  cannot  be  ful- 
filled. Since  I  bear  Him  in  my  womb,  let  us,  I  beseech 
thee,  give  thanks  for  having  disposed  events  in  this  way. 
The  place  of  which  thou  speakest  shall  be  most  satisfac- 
tory to  me.  Let  thy  tears  of  sorrow  be  turned  into  tears 
of  joy,  and  let  us  lovingly  embrace  poverty,  which  is  the 
inestimable  and  precious  treasure  of  my  most  holy  Son. 
He  came  from  heaven  in  order  to  seek  it,  let  us  then 
afford  Him  an  occasion  to  practice  it  in  the  joy  of  our 
souls;  certainly  I  cannot  be  better  delighted  than  to  see 
thee  procure  it  for  me.  Let  us  go  gladly  wherever  the 
Lord  shall  guide  us."  The  holy  angels  accompanied  the 
heavenly  pair,  brilliantly  lighting  up  the  way,  and  when 
they  arrived  at  the  city  gate  they  saw  that  the  cave  was 
forsaken  and  unoccupied.  Full  of  heavenly  consolation, 
they  thanked  the  Lord  for  this  favor,  and  then  happened 
what  I  shall  relate  in  the  following  chapter. 


390  CITY   OF   GOD 

INSTRUCTION    WHICH   THE   MOST   HOI^Y   MARY,   THE 
QUEEN  OF   HEAVEN,   GAVE   ME. 

464.  My  dearest  daughter,  if  thou  art  of  a  meek  and 
docile  heart,  these  mysteries  which  thou  hast  written 
about  and  hast  understood,  will  stir  within  thee  sweet 
sentiments  of  love  and  affection  toward  the  Author  of 
such  great  wonders.  I  wish  that,  bearing  them  in  mind, 
thou  from  this  day  on  embrace  with  new  and  great  esteem 
the  contempt  and  neglect  of  the  world.  And  tell  me, 
dearest,  if,  in  exchange  for  this  forgetfulness  and  scorn 
of  the  world,  God  look  upon  thee  with  eyes  of  sweetest 
love,  why  shouldst  thou  not  buy  so  cheaply  what  is  worth 
an  infinite  price?  What  can  the  world  give  thee,  even 
when  it  esteems  thee  and  exalts  thee  most?  And  what 
dost  thou  lose,  if  thou  despise  it?  Is  its  favor  not  all 
vanity  and  deceit  (Ps.  4,  3)  ?  Is  it  not  all  a  fleeting  and 
momentary  shadow,  which  eludes  the  grasp  of  those  that 
haste  after  it?  Hence,  if  thou  hadst  all  worldly  advan- 
tage in  thy  possession,  what  great  feat  would  it  be  to 
despise  it  as  of  no  value?  Consider  how  little  thou  dost 
in  rejecting  all  of  it  for  the  love  of  God,  for  mine  and  that 
of  the  holy  angels.  And  if  the  world  does  not  neglect 
thee  as  much  as  thou  shouldst  desire,  do  thou  on  thy  own 
behalf  despise  it,  in  order  to  remain  free  and  unhampered 
to  enjoy  to  the  full  extent  the  highest  Good  with  the 
plenitude  of  his  most  delightful  love  and  intercourse. 

465.  My  most  holy  Son  is  such  a  faithful  Lover  of 
souls  that  He  hast  set  me  as  the  teacher  and  living 
example  of  the  love  of  humility  and  true  contempt  of 
worldly  vanity  and  pride.  He  ordained  also  for  his  own 
glory  as  well  as  for  my  sake  that  I,  his  Servant  and 
Mother,  should  be  left  without  shelter  and  be  turned 
away  by  mortals,  in  order  that  afterwards  his  beloved 


THE   INCARNATION  391 

souls  might  be  so  much  the  more  readily  induced  to  offer 
Hira  a  welcome,  thus  obliging  Him,  by  an  artifice  of  love, 
to  come  and  remain  with  them.  He  also  sought  destitu- 
tion and  poverty,  not  because  He  had  any  need  of  them 
for  bringing  the  practice  of  virtues  to  the  highest  per- 
fection, but  in  order  to  teach  mortals  the  shortest  and 
surest  way  for  reaching  the  heights  of  divine  love  and 
union  with  God. 

466.  Thou  knowest  well,  my  dearest,  that  thou  hast 
been  incessantly  instructed  and  exhorted  by  divine  en- 
lightenment to  forget  the  terrestrial  and  visible  and  to 
gird  thyself  with  fortitude  (Prov.  31,  17),  to  raise  thy- 
self to  the  imitation  of  me,  copying  in  thyself,  according 
to  thy  capacity,  the  works  and  virtues  manifested  to  thee 
in  my  life.  This  is  the  very  first  purpose  of  the  knowl- 
edge which  thou  receivest  in  writing  this  history;  for 
thou  hast  in  me  a  perfect  model,  and  by  it  thou  canst 
arrange  the  converse  and  conduct  of  thy  life  in  the  same 
manner  as  I  arranged  mine  in  imitation  of  my  sweetest 

I  Son.  The  dread  with  which  this  command  to  imitate 
f  me  has  inspired  thee  as  a  being  above  thy  strength,  thou 
must  moderate  and  thou  must  encourage  thyself  by  the 
words  of  my  most  holy  Son  in  the  Gospel  of  saint  Mat- 
thew :  "Be  ye  perfect  as  my  heavenly  Father  is  perfect" 
(Matth.  5,  48).  This  command  of  the  Most  High  im- 
posed upon  his  holy  Church  is  not  impossible  of  fulfill- 
ment, and,  if  his  faithful  children  on  their  part  dispose 
themselves  properly.  He  will  deny  to  none  of  them  the 
grace  of  attaining  this  resemblance  to  the  heavenly 
Father.  All  this  my  most  holy  Son  has  merited  for  them. 
But  the  degrading  forgetfulness  and  neglect  of  men  hin- 
der them  from  maturing  within  themselves  the  fruits  of 
his  Redemption. 

467.  Of  thee  particularly  I  expect  this  perfection,  and 


392  CITY   OF   GOD 

I  invite  thee  to  it  by  the  sweet  law  of  love  which  accom- 
panies my  instruction.  Ponder  and  scrutinize,  by  the 
divine  light,  the  obligation  under  which  I  place  thee,  and 
labor  to  correspond  with  it  like  a  faithful  and  anxious 
child.  Let  no  difficulty  or  hardship  disturb  thee,  nor 
deter  thee  from  any  virtuous  exercise,  no  matter  how 
hard  it  may  be.  Nor  be  content  with  striving  after  the 
love  of  God  and  salvation  of  thyself  alone;  if  thou 
wouldst  be  perfect  in  imitating  me  and  fulfilling  all  that 
the  Gospel  teaches,  thou  must  work  for  the  salvation  of 
other  souls  and  the  exaltation  of  the  holy  name  of  my 
Son,  making  thyself  an  instrument  in  his  powerful  hands 
for  the  accomplishment  of  mighty  works  to  advance  his 
pleasure  and  glory. 


CHAPTER  X. 

CHRIST    OUR    SAVIOR    IS    BORN    01?    THE   VIRGIN    MARY   IN 
BETHIvEHEM,  JUDA, 

468.  The  palace  which  the  supreme  King  of  kings 
and  the  Lord  of  lords  had  chosen  for  entertaining  his 
eternal  and  incarnate  Son  in  this  world  was  a  most  poor 
and  insignificant  hut  or  cave,  to  which  most  holy  Mary 
and  Joseph  betook  themselves  after  they  had  been  denied 
all  hospitality  and  the  most  ordinary  kindness  by  their 
fellow-men,  as  I  have  described  in  the  foregoing  chapter. 
This  place  was  held  in  such  contempt  that  though  the 
town  of  Bethlehem  was  full  of  strangers  in  want  of  night- 
shelter,  none  would  demean  or  degrade  himself  so  far 
as  to  make  use  of  it  for  a  lodging;  for  there  was  none 
who  deemed  it  suitable  or  desirable  for  such  a  purpose, 
except  the  Teachers  of  humility  and  poverty,  Christ  our 
Savior  and  his  purest  Mother.  On  this  account  the  wis- 
dom of  the  eternal  Father  had  reserved  it  for  Them,  con- 
secrating it  in  all  its  bareness,  loneliness  and  poverty  as 
the  first  temple  of  light  (Malachy  4,  2,  Ps.  Ill,  4)  and 
as  the  house  of  the  true  Sun  of  justice,  which  was  to 
arise  for  the  upright  of  heart  from  the  resplendent  Aurora 
Mary,  turning  the  night  of  sin  into  the  daylight  of  grace. 

469.  Most  holy  Mary  and  saint  Joseph  entered  the 
lodging  thus  provided  for  them  and  by  the  effulgence  of 
the  ten  thousand  angels  of  their  guard  they  could  easily 
ascertain  its  poverty  and  loneliness,  which  they  esteemed 
as  favors  and  welcomed  with  tears  of  consolation  and 
joy.     Without  delay  the  two  holy  travelers  fell  on  their 

393 


394  CITY   OF   GOD 

knees  and  praised  the  Lord,  giving  Him  thanks  for  his 
benefit,  which  they  knew  had  been  provided  by  his  wis- 
dom for  his  own  hidden  designs.  Of  this  mystery  the 
heavenly  Princess  Mary  had  a  better  insight ;  for  as  soon 
as  She  sanctified  the  interior  of  the  cave  by  her  sacred 
footsteps  She  felt  a  fullness  of  joy  which  entirely  elevated 
and  vivified  Her,  She  besought  the  Lord  to  bless  with 
a  liberal  hand  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  city, 
because  by  rejecting  Her  they  had  given  occasion  to  the 
vast  favors,  which  She  awaited  in  this  neglected  cavern. 
It  was  formed  entirely  of  the  bare  and  coarse  rocks,  with- 
out any  natural  beauty  or  artificial  adornment;  a  place 
intended  merely  for  the  shelter  of  animals ;  yet  the  eternal 
Father  had  selected  it  for  the  shelter  and  dwelling-place 
of  his  own  Son. 

470.  The  angelic  spirits,  who  like  a  celestial  militia 
guarded  their  Queen  and  Mistress,  formed  themselves 
into  cohorts  in  the  manner  of  court  guards  in  a  royal 
palace.  They  showed  themselves  in  their  visible  forms 
also  to  saint  Joseph ;  for  on  this  occasion  it  was  befitting 
that  he  should  enjoy  such  a  favor,  on  the  one  hand  in 
order  to  assuage  his  sorrow  by  allowing  him  to  behold 
this  poor  lodging  thus  beautified  and  adorned  by  their 
celestial  presence,  and  on  the  other,  in  order  to  enliven 
and  encourage  him  for  the  events  which  the  Lord  in- 
tended to  bring  about  during  that  night,  and  in  this  for- 
saken place.  The  great  Queen  and  Empress,  who  was 
already  informed  of  the  mystery  to  be  transacted  here, 
set  about  cleaning  with  her  own  hands  the  cave,  which 
was  so  soon  to  serve  as  a  royal  throne  and  sacred  mercy- 
seat;  for  neither  did  She  want  to  miss  this  occasion  for 
exercising  her  humility,  nor  would  She  deprive  her  only- 
begotten  Son  of  the  worship  and  reverence  implied  by 
this  preparation  and  cleansing  of  his  temple. 


THE   INCARNATION  395 

471.  Saint  Joseph,  mindful  of  the  majesty  of  his 
heavenly  Spouse  (which,  it  seemed  to  him,  She  was  for- 
getting in  her  ardent  longing  for  humiliation),  besought 
Her  not  to  deprive  Him  of  this  work,  which  he  con- 
sidered as  his  alone ;  and  he  hastened  to  set  about  cleaning 
the  floor  and  the  corners  of  the  cave,  although  the  hum- 
ble Queen  continued  to  assist  him  therein.  As  the  holy 
angels  were  then  present  in  visible  forms,  they  were 
(according  to  our  mode  of  speaking)  abashed  at  such 
eagerness  for  humiliation,  and  they  speedily  emulated 
with  each  other  to  join  in  this  work;  or  rather,  in  order 
to  say  it  more  succinctly,  in  the  shortest  time  possible 
they  had  cleansed  and  set  in  order  that  cave,  filling  it  with 
holy  fragrance.  Saint  Joseph  started  a  fire  with  the 
material  which  he  had  brought  for  that  purpose.  As  it 
was  very  cold,  they  sat  at  the  fire  in  order  to  get  warm. 
They  partook  of  the  food  which  they  had  brought,  and 
they  ate  this,  their  frugal  supper,  with  incomparable  joy 
of  their  souls.  The  Queen  of  heaven  was  so  absorbed 
and  taken  up  with  the  thought  of  the  impending  mystery 
of  her  divine  delivery,  that  She  would  not  have  partaken 
of  food  if  She  had  not  been  urged  thereto  by  obedience 
to  her  spouse. 

472.  After  their  supper  they  gave  thanks  to  the  Lord 
as  was  their  custom.  Having  spent  a  short  time  in  this 
prayer  and  conferring  about  the  mysteries  of  the  incar- 
nate Word,  the  most  prudent  Virgin  felt  the  approach 
of  the  most  blessed  Birth.  She  requested  her  spouse 
saint  Joseph  to  betake  himself  to  rest  and  sleep  as  the 
night  was  already  far  advanced.  The  man  of  God 
yielded  to  the  request  of  his  Spouse  and  urged  Her  to 
do  the  same;  and  for  this  purpose  he  arranged  and  pre- 
pared a  sort  of  couch  with  the  articles  of  wear  in  their 
possession,  making  use  of  a  crib  or  manger,  that  had  been 


396  CITY   OF   GOD 

left  by  the  shepherds  for  their  animals.  Leaving  most 
holy  Mary  in  the  portion  of  the  cave  thus  furnished,  saint 
Joseph  retired  to  a  corner  of  the  entrance,  where  he 
began  to  pray.  He  was  immediately  visited  by  the 
divine  Spirit  and  felt  a  most  sweet  and  extraordinary 
influence,  by  which  he  was  wrapt  and  elevated  into  an 
ecstasy.  In  it  was  shown  him  all  that  passed  during  that 
night  in  this  blessed  cave;  for  he  did  not  return  to  con- 
sciousness until  his  heavenly  Spouse  called  him.  Such 
was  the  sleep  which  saint  Joseph  enjoyed  in  that  night, 
more  exalted  and  blessed  than  that  of  Adam  in  paradise 
(Gen.  21,  2). 

473.  The  Queen  of  all  creatures  was  called  from  her 
resting-place  by  a  loud  voice  of  the  Most  High,  which 
strongly  and  sweetly  raised  Her  above  all  created  things 
and  caused  Her  to  feel  new  effects  of  divine  power;  for 
this  was  one  of  the  most  singular  and  admirable  ecstasies 
of  her  most  holy  life.  Immediately  also  She  was  filled 
with  new  enlightenment  and  divine  influences,  such  as  I 
have  described  in  other  places,  until  She  reached  the  clear 
vision  of  the  Divinity.  The  veil  fell  and  She  saw  intui- 
tively the  Godhead  itself  in  such  glory  and  plenitude  of 
insight,  as  all  the  capacity,  of  men  and  angels  could  not 
describe  or  fully  understand.  All  the  knowledge  of  the 
Divinity  and  humanity  of  her  most  holy  Son,  which  She 
had  ever  received  in  former  visions  was  renewed  and, 
moreover,  other  secrets  of  the  inexhaustible  archives  of 
the  bosom  of  God  were  revealed  to  Her.  I  have  not 
ideas  or  words  sufficient  and  adequate  for  expressing 
what  I  have  been  allowed  to  see  of  these  sacraments  by 
the  divine  light ;  and  their  abundance  and  multiplicity  con- 
vince me  of  the  poverty  and  want  of  proper  expression  in 
created  language. 

474.  The  Most  High  announced  to  his  Virgin  Mother, 


THE   INCARNATION  397 

that  the  time  of  his  coming  into  the  world  had  arrived 
and  what  would  be  the  manner  in  which  this  was  now  to 
be  fvilfilled  and  executed.  The  most  prudent  Lady  per- 
ceived in  this  vision  the  purpose  and  exalted  scope  of 
these  wonderful  mysteries  and  sacraments,  as  well  in  so 
far  as  related  to  the  Lord  himself  as  also  in  so  far  as 
they  concerned  creatures,  for  whose  benefit  they  had  been 
primarily  decreed.  She  prostrated  Herself  before  the 
throne  of  his  Divinity  and  gave  Him  glory,  magnificence, 
thanks  and  praise  for  Herself  and  for  all  creatures,  such 
as  was  befitting  the  ineffable  mercy  and  condescension  of 
his  divine  love.  At  the  same  time  She  asked  of  the  divine 
Majesty  new  light  and  grace  in  order  to  be  able  worthily 
to  undertake  the  service  and  worship  and  the  rearing  up 
of  the  Word  made  flesh,  whom  She  was  to  bear  in  Her 
arms  and  nourish  with  her  virginal  milk.  This  petition 
the  heavenly  Mother  brought  forward  with  the  pro- 
foundest  humility,  as  one  who  understood  the  greatness 
of  this  new  sacrament.  She  held  Herself  unworthy  of 
the  office  of  rearing  up  and  conversing  as  a  Mother  with 
a  God  incarnate  of  which  even  the  highest  seraphim  are 
incapable.  Prudently  and  humbly  did  the  Mother  of 
wisdom  ponder  and  weigh  this  matter.  And  because  She 
humbled  Herself  to  the  dust  and  acknowledged  her  noth- 
ingness in  the  presence  of  the  Almighty,  therefore  his 
Majesty  raised  Her  up  and  confirmed  anew  upon  Her  the 
title  of  Mother  of  God.  He  commanded  Her  to  exercise 
this  office  and  ministry  of  a  legitimate  and  true  Mother 
of  Himself;  that  She  should  treat  Him  as  the  Son  of  the 
eternal  Father  and  at  the  same  time  the  Son  of  her  womb. 
All  this  could  be  easily  entrusted  to  such  a  Mother,  in 
whom  was  contained  an  excellence  that  words  cannot 
express. 

475.  The  most  holy  Mary  remained  in  this  ecstasy  and 

2-27 


398  CITY   OF   GOD 

beatific  vision  for  over  an  hour  immediately  preceding 
her  divine  dehvery.  At  the  moment  when  She  issued 
from  it  and  regained  the  use  of  her  senses  She  felt  and 
saw  that  the  body  of  the  infant  God  began  to  move  in 
her  virginal  womb;  how,  releasing  and  freeing  Himself 
from  the  place  which  in  the  course  of  nature  He  had 
occupied  for  nine  months,  He  now  prepared  to  issue  forth 
from  that  sacred  bridal  chamber.  This  movement  not 
only  did  not  cause  any  pain  or  hardship,  as  happens  with 
the  other  daughters  of  Adam  and  Eve  in  their  child- 
births;  but  filled  Her  with  incomparable  joy  and  delight, 
causing  in  her  soul  and  in  her  virginal  body  such  exalted 
and  divine  effects  that  they  exceed  all  thoughts  of  men. 
Her  body  became  so  spiritualized  with  the  beauty  of 
heaven  that  She  seemed  no  more  a  human  and  earthly 
creature.  Her  countenance  emitted  rays  of  light,  like  a 
sun  incarnadined,  and  shone  in  indescribable  earnestness 
and  majesty,  all  inflamed  with  fervent  love.  She  was 
kneeling  in  the  manger,  her  eyes  raised  to  heaven,  her 
hands  joined  and  folded  at  her  breat,  her  soul  wrapped 
in  the  Divinity  and  She  herself  was  entirely  deified.  In 
this  position,  and  at  the  end  of  the  heavenly  rapture,  the 
most  exalted  Lady  gave  to  the  world  the  Onlybegotten 
of  the  Father  and  her  own,  our  Savior  Jesus,  true  God 
and  man,  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  on  a  Sunday,  in  the 
year  of  the  creation  of  the  world  five  thousand  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-nine  (5199),  which  is  the  date  given  in 
the  Roman  Church,  and  which  date  has  been  manifested 
to  me  as  the  true  and  certain  one. 

476.  There  are  other  wonderful  circumstances  and  par- 
ticulars, which  all  the  faithful  assume  to  have  miracu- 
lously accompanied  this  most  divine  Birth ;  but  as  the 
only  witnesses  were  the  Queen  of  heaven  and  her  cour- 
tiers, they  cannot  all  be  certified,  except  only  those  which 


THE    INCARNATION  399 

the  Lord  himself  manifests  in  his  holy  Church  to  all  or 
to  some  particular  souls  in  diverse  ways.  As  I  think  there 
is  some  divergence  of  opinion  in  this  matter,  which  is 
most  sublime  and  venerable,  as  soon  as  I  had  manifested 
to  my  superiors  and  directors  what  had  been  made  known 
to  me,  they  commanded  me  under  obedience  to  consult 
anew  the  divine  oracle  and  ask  the  Empress  of  heaven, 
my  Mother  and  Teacher,  and  the  holy  angels  that  attend 
on  me,  for  information  on  some  particulars  necessary  for 
a  clearer  statement  of  the  most  sacred  parturition  of 
Mary,  the  Mother  of  Jesus,  our  Redeemer.  In  order  to 
comply  with  this  command  I  returned  for  a  better  under- 
standing of  these  same  happenings  and  it  was  then  ex- 
pounded to  me  in  the  following  manner: 

477.  At  the  end  of  the  beatific  rapture  and  vision  of 
the  Mother  ever  Virgin,  which  I  have  described  above 
(No.  473),  was  born  the  Sun  of  Justice,  the  Onlybegotten 
of  the  eternal  Father  and  of  Mary  most  pure,  beautiful, 
refulgent  and  immaculate,  leaving  Her  untouched  in  her 
virginal  integrity  and  purity  and  making  Her  more  god-- 
like  and  forever  sacred ;  for  He  did  not  divide,  but  pene- 
trated the  virginal  chamber  as  the  rays  of  the  sun  pene- 
trate the  crystal  shrine,  lighting  it  up  in  prismatic  beauty. 
Before  I  describe  the  miraculous  manner  in  which  this 
took  place.  I  wish  to  say  that  the  divine  Child  was  born 
pure  and  disengaged,  without  the  protecting  shield  called 
sectmdina,  surrounded  by  which  other  children  are  com- 
monly born,  and  in  which  they  are  enveloped  in  the  wombs 
of  their  mothers.  I  will  not  detain  myself  in  explaining 
the  cause  and  origin  of  the  error,  which  is  contrary  to 
this  statement.  It  it  enough  to  know  and  suppose  that 
in  the  generation  and  birth  of  the  incarnate  Word  the 
arm  of  the  Almighty  selected  and  made  use  of  all  that 
substantially  and  unavoidably  belonged  to  natural  human 


400  CITY    OF    GOD 

generation,  so  that  the  Word  could  truly  call  Himself 
conceived  and  engendered  as  a  true  man  and  born  of  the 
substance  of  his  Mother  ever  Virgin.  In  regard  to  the 
other  circumstances,  which  are  not  essential  but  acci- 
dental to  generation  and  nativity,  we  must  disconnect  our 
ideas  of  Christ  our  Lord  and  of  the  most  holy  Mary  not 
only  from  all  that  are  in  any  way  related  or  consequent 
upon  any  sin,  original  or  actual;  but  also  from  many 
others  which  are  not  necessary  for  the  essential  reality  of 
the  generation  or  birth  and  which  imply  some  impurity 
or  superfluity,  that  could  in  any  way  lessen  or  impair  the 
dignity  of  Mary  as  the  Queen  of  heaven  and  as  true 
Mother  of  Christ  our  Lord.  For  many  such  imperfec- 
tions of  sin  or  nature  were  not  necessary  either  for  the 
true  humanity  of  Christ,  or  for  his  office  of  Redeemer  or 
Teacher ;  and  whatever  was  not  necessary  for  these  three 
ends,  and  whatever  by  its  absence  would  redound  to  the 
greater  dignity  of  Christ  and  his  Mother,  must  be  denied 
of  Both.  Nor  must  we  be  niggardly  in  presuming  won- 
derful intervention  of  the  Author  of  nature  and  grace 
in  favor  of  Her  who  was  his  worthy  Mother,  prepared, 
adorned  and  made  increasingly  beautiful  for  this  pur- 
pose :  for  the  divine  right  hand  enriched  Her  at  all  times 
with  gifts  and  graces  and  reached  the  utmost  limits  of  his 
Omnipotence  possible  in  regard  to  a  mere  creature. 

478.  In  accordance  with  this  truth  her  true  motherhood 
was  not  impaired  by  her  remaining  a  Virgin  in  his  con- 
ception and  birth  through  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Although  She  could  have  lost  her  virginity  in  a  natural 
manner  without  incurring  any  fault,  yet  in  that  case  the 
Mother  of  God  would  also  be  without  this  singular  pre- 
rogative of  virginity.  Therefore  we  must  say,  in  order 
that  She  might  not  be  without  it,  the  divine  power  of  her 
most  holy  Son  preserved  it  for  Her.     Likewise  the  divine 


THE   INCARNATION  401 

Child  could  have  been  born  with  this  covering  or  cuticle 
in  which  others  are  born;  yet  this  was  not  necessary  in 
order  to  be  born  a  natural  Son  of  the  blessed  Mother; 
hence  He  could  chose  not  to  take  it  forth  with  Him  from 
the  virginal  and  maternal  womb,  just  as  He  chose  not  to 
pay  to  nature  other  penal  tributes  of  impurity,  which 
other  human  beings  do  pay  at  their  coming  into  the  light. 
It  was  not  just  that  the  incarnate  Word  should  be  sub- 
ject to  all  the  laws  of  the  sons  of  Adam ;  but  it  was  conse- 
quent upon  his  miraculous  Birth  that  He  be  exempt  and 
free  from  all  that  could  be  caused  by  the  corruption  or 
uncleanness  of  matter.  Thus  also  this  covering,  or 
secundina,  was  not  to  fall  a  prey  to  corruption  outside 
of  the  virginal  womb,  because  it  had  been  so  closely  con- 
nected and  attached  to  his  most  holy  body  and  because 
it  was  composed  of  the  blood  and  substance  of  his 
Mother ;  in  like  manner  it  was  not  advisable  to  keep  and 
preserve  it  outside  of  Her,  nor  was  it  becoming  to  give 
it  the  same  privileges  and  importance  as  to  his  divine 
body  in  coming  forth  from  the  body  of  his  most  holy 
Mother,  as  I  will  yet  explain.  The  wonder  which  would 
have  to  be  wrought  to  dispose  of  that  sacred  covering  out- 
side of  the  womb  could  be  wrought  much  more  appro- 
priately within. 

479.  The  infant  God  therefore  was  brought  forth  from 
the  virginal  chamber  unencumbered  by  any  corporeal  or 
material  substance  foreign  to  Himself.  But  He  came 
forth  glorious  and  transfigured  for  the  divine  and 
infinite  wisdom  decreed  and  ordained  that  the  glory  of 
his  most  holy  soul  should  in  his  Birth  overflow  and 
communicate  itself  to  his  body,  participating  in  the 
gifts  of  glory  in  the  same  way  as  happened  afterwards 
in  his  Transfiguration  on  mount  Tabor  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Apostles  (Matth.  17,  2).     This  miracle  was 


402  CITY    OF    GOD 

not  necessary  in  order  to  penetrate  the  virginal  en- 
closure and  to  leave  unimpaired  the  virginal  integrity; 
for  without  this  Transfiguration  God  could  have  brought 
this  about  by  other  miracles.  Thus  say  the  holy  doc- 
tors, who  see  no  other  miracle  in  this  Birth  than  that 
the  Child  was  born  without  impairing  the  virginity  of  the 
Mother.  It  was  the  will  of  God  that  the  most  blessed 
Virgin  should  look  upon  the  body  of  her  Son,  the  God- 
man,  for  this  first  time  in  a  glorified  state  for  two  reasons. 
The  one  was  in  order  that  by  this  divine  vision  the  most 
prudent  Mother  should  conceive  the  highest  reverence  for 
the  Majesty  of  Him  whom  She  was  to  treat  as  her  Son, 
the  true  God-man.  Although  She  was  already  informed 
of  his  two-fold  nature,  the  Lord  nevertheless  ordained 
that  by  ocular  demonstration  She  be  filled  with  new 
graces,  corresponding  to  the  greatness  of  her  most  holy 
Son,  which  was  thus  manifested  to  Her  in  a  visible  man- 
ner. The  second  reason  was  to  reward  by  this  wonder 
the  fidelity  and  holiness  of  the  divine  Mother;  for  her 
most  pure  and  chaste  eyes,  that  had  turned  away  from  all 
earthly  things  for  love  of  her  most  holy  Son,  were  to  see 
Him  at  his  very  Birth  in  this  glory  and  thus  be  rejoiced 
and  rewarded  for  her  loyalty  and  beautiful  love. 

480.  The  sacred  evangelist  Luke  tells  us  that  the 
Mother  Virgin,  having  brought  forth  her  firstbegotten 
Son,  wrapped  Him  in  swathing  clothes  and  placed  Him 
in  a  manger.  He  does  not  say  that  She  received  Him 
in  her  arms  from  her  virginal  womb;  for  this  did  not 
pertain  to  the  purpose  of  his  narrative.  But  the  two 
sovereign  princes,  saint  Michael  and  saint  Gabriel,  were 
the  assistants  of  the  Virgin  on  this  occasion.  They  stood 
by  at  proper  distance  in  human  corporeal  forms  at  the 
moment  when  the  incarnate  Word,  penetrating  the  vir- 
ginal chamber  by  divine  power,  issued  forth  to  the  light, 


THE   INCARNATION  403 

and  they  received  Him  in  their  hands  with  ineffable  rev- 
erence. In  the  same  manner  as  a  priest  exhibits  the 
sacred  host  to  the  people  for  adoration,  so  these  two 
celestial  ministers  presented  to  the  divine  Mother  her 
glorious  and  refulgent  Son.  All  this  happened  in  a  short 
space  of  time.  In  the  same  moment  in  which  the  holy 
angels  thus  presented  the  divine  Child  to  his  Mother, 
both  Son  and  Mother  looked  upon  each  other,  and  in  this 
look,  She  wounded  with  love  the  sweet  Infant  and  was 
at  the  same  time  exalted  and  transformed  in  Him.  From 
the  arms  of  the  holy  princes  the  Prince  of  all  the  heavens 
spoke  to  his  holy  Mother:  "Mother,  become  like  unto 
Me,  since  on  this  day,  for  the  human  existence,  which 
thou  hast  today  given  Me,  I  will  give  thee  another  more 
exalted  existence  in  grace,  assimilating  thy  existence  as 
a  mere  creature  to  the  likeness  of  Me,  who  am  God  and 
Man."  The  most  prudent  Mother  answered:  "Trahe 
me  post  Te,  curremus  in  odorem  unguentorum  tuorum" 
(Cant.  1,  3).  Raise  me,  elevate  me,  Lord,  and  I  will 
run  after  Thee  in  the  odor  of  thy  ointments.  In  the  same 
way  many  of  the  hidden  mysteries  of  the  Canticles  were 
fulfilled ;  and  other  sayings  which  passed  between  the 
infant  God  and  the  Virgin  Mother  had  been  recorded 
in  that  book  of  songs,  as  for  instance :  "My  Beloved  to 
me,  and  I  to  Him,  and  his  desire  is  toward  me" 
(Cant.  2,  16).  "Behold  thou  art  beautiful,  my  friend, 
and  thy  eyes  are  dove's  eyes.  Behold,  my  beloved,  for 
thou  art  beautiful";  and  many  other  sacramental  words 
which  to  mention  would  unduly  prolong  this  chapter. 

481.  The  words,  which  most  holy  Mary  heard  from 
the  mouth  of  her  most  holy  Son,  served  to  make  Her 
understand  at  the  same  time  the  interior  acts  of  his 
holiest  soul  united  with  the  EHvinity;  in  order  that  by 
imitating  them  She  might  become  like  unto  Him.     This 


404  CITY    OF    GOD 

was  one  of  the  greatest  blessings,  which  the  most  faithful 
and  fortunate  Mother  received  at  the  hands  of  her  Son, 
the  true  God  and  man,  not  only  because  it  was  continued 
from  that  day  on  through  all  her  life,  but  because  it  fur- 
nished Her  the  means  of  copying  his  own  divine  life  as 
faithfully  as  was  possible  to  a  mere  creature.  At  the 
same  time  the  heavenly  Lady  perceived  and  felt  the 
presence  of  the  most  holy  Trinity,  and  She  heard  the  voice 
of  the  eternal  Father  saying :  "This  is  my  beloved  Son, 
in  whom  I  am  greatly  pleased  and  delighted"  (Matth, 
17,  5).  The  most  prudent  Mother  made  entirely  god- 
like in  the  overflow  of  so  many  sacraments,  answered: 
"Eternal  Father  and  exalted  God,  Lord  and  Creator  of 
the  universe,  give  me  anew  thy  permission  and  benedic- 
tion to  receive  in  my  arms  the  Desired  of  nations 
(Agg.  2,  8)  ;  and  teach  me  to  fulfill  as  thy  unworthy 
Mother  and  lowly  slave,  thy  holy  will."  Immediately 
She  heard  a  voice,  which  said:  "Receive  thy  Onlybe- 
gotten  Son,  imitate  Him  and  rear  Him;  and  remember, 
that  thou  must  sacrifice  Him  when  I  shall  demand  it  of 
thee."  The  divine  Mother  answered :  "Behold  the  crea- 
ture of  thy  hands,  adorn  me  with  thy  grace  so  that  thy 
Son  and  my  God  receive  me  for  his  slave;  and  if  Thou 
wilt  come  to  my  aid  with  thy  Omnipotence,  I  shall  be 
faithful  in  his  service ;  and  do  Thou  count  it  no  presump- 
tion in  thy  insignificant  creature,  that  she  bear  in  her  arms 
and  nourish  at  her  breast  her  own  Lord  and  Creator." 

482.  After  this  interchange  of  words,  so  full  of  mys- 
teries, the  divine  Child  suspended  the  miracle  of  his 
transfiguration,  or  rather  He  inaugurated  the  other 
miracle,  that  of  suspending  the  effects  of  glory  in  his 
most  holy  body,  confining  them  solely  to  his  soul;  and 
He  now  assumed  the  appearance  of  one  capable  of  suf- 
fering.    In  this  forrn  the  most  pure  Mother  now  saw 


THE   INCARNATION  405 

Him  and,  still  remaining  in  a  kneeling"  position  and  ador- 
ing Him  with  profound  humility  and  reverence,  She  re- 
ceived Him  in  her  arms  from  the  hands  of  the  holy  angels. 
And  when  She  saw  Him  in  her  arms,  She  spoke  to  Him 
and  said :  "My  sweetest  Love  and  light  of  my  eyes  and 
being  of  my  soul,  Thou  hast  arrived  in  good  hour  into 
this  world  as  the  Sun  of  justice  (Malach,  4,  2),  in  order 
to  disperse  the  darkness  of  sin  and  death !  True  God  of 
the  true  God,  save  thy  servants  and  let  all  flesh  see  Him, 
who  shall  draw  upon  it  salvation  (Is.  9,  2).  Receive  me 
thy  servant  as  thy  slave  and  supply  my  deficiency,  in  order 
that  I  may  properly  serve  Thee.  Make  me,  my  Son,  such 
as  Thou  desirest  me  to  be  in  thy  service."  Then  the 
most  prudent  Mother  turned  toward  the  eternal  Father 
to  offer  up  to  Him  his  Onlybegotten,  saying:  "Exalted 
Creator  of  all  the  Universe,  here  is  the  altar  and  the  sac- 
rifice acceptable  in  thy  eyes  (Malachy  3,  4).  From  this 
hour  on,  O  Lord,  look  upon  the  human  race  with  mercy ; 
and  inasmuch  as  we  have  deserved  thy  anger,  it  is  now 
time  that  Thou  be  appeased  in  thy  Son  and  mine.  Let 
thy  justice  now  come  to  rest,  and  let  thy  mercy  be  ex- 
alted ;  for  on  this  account  the  Word  has  clothed  itself  in 
the  semblance  of  sinful  flesh  (Rom.  8,  3),  and  became 
a  Brother  of  mortals  and  sinners  (Philip  2,  7).  In  this 
title  I  recognize  them  as  brothers  and  I  intercede  for  them 
from  my  inmost  soul.  Thou,  Lord,  hast  made  me  the 
Mother  of  thy  Onlybegotten  without  my  merit,  since  this 
dignity  is  above  all  merit  of  a  creature ;  but  I  partly  owe 
to  men  the  occasion  of  this  incomparable  good  fortune; 
since  it  is  on  their  account  that  I  am  the  Mother  of  the 
Word  made  man  and  Redeemer  of  them  all.  I  will  not 
deny  them  my  love,  or  remit  my  care  and  watchfulness 
for  their  salvation.     Receive,  eternal  God,  my  wishes 


406  CITY   OF   GOD 

and  petitions  for  that  which  is  according  to  thy  pleasure 
and  good  will." 

483.  The  Mother  of  mercy  turned  also  toward  all 
mortals  and  addressed  them,  saying:  "Be  consoled  ye 
afflicted  and  rejoice  ye  disconsolate,  be  raised  up  ye  fallen, 
come  to  rest  ye  uneasy.  Let  the  just  be  gladdened 
and  the  saints  be  rejoiced ;  let  the  heavenly  spirits  break 
out  in  new  jubilee,  let  the  Prophets  and  Patriarchs  of 
limbo  draw  new  hope,  and  let  all  the  generations  praise 
and  magnify  the  Lord,  who  renews  his  wonders.  Come, 
come  ye  poor;  approach  ye  little  ones,  without  fear,  for 
in  my  arms  I  bear  the  Lion  made  a  lamb,  the  Almighty, 
become  weak,  the  Invincible  subdued.  Come  to  draw 
life,  hasten  to  obtain  salvation,  approach  to  gain  eternal 
rest,  since  I  have  all  this  for  all,  and  it  will  be  given  to 
you  freely  and  communicated  to  you  without  envy.  Do 
not  be  slow  and  heavy  of  heart,  ye  sons  of  men ;  and 
Thou,  O  sweetest  joy  of  my  soul,  give  me  permission  to 
receive  from  Thee  that  kiss  desired  by  all  creatures." 
Therewith  the  most  blessed  Mother  applied  her  most 
chaste  and  heavenly  lips  in  order  to  receive  the  loving 
caresses  of  the  divine  Child,  who  on  his  part,  as  her 
true  Son,  had  desired  them  from  Her. 

484.  Holding  Him  in  Her  arms  She  thus  served  as  the 
altar  and  the  sanctuary,  where  the  ten  thousand  angels 
adored  in  visible  human  forms  their  Creator  incarnate. 
And  as  the  most  blessed  Trinity  assisted  in  an  especial 
manner  at  the  birth  of  the  Word,  heaven  was  as  it  were 
emptied  of  its  inhabitants,  for  the  whole  heavenly  court 
had  betaken  itself  to  that  blessed  cave  of  Bethlehem  and 
was  adoring  the  Creator  in  his  garb  and  habit  of  a  pilgrim 
(Phil.  2,  7).  And  in  their  concert  of  praise  the  holy 
angels  intoned  the  new  canticle :  "Gloria  in  excelsis  Deo, 
et  in  terra  pax  hominibus  bonae  voluntatis"   (Luke  2, 


THE   INCARNATION  407 

14).  In  sweetest  and  sonorous  harmony  they  repeated  it, 
transfixed  in  wonder  at  the  new  miracles  then  being- 
fulfilled  and  at  the  unspeakable  prudence,  grace,  humility 
and  beauty  of  that  tender  Maiden  of  fifteen  years,  who 
had  become  the  worthy  Trustee  and  Minister  of  such  vast 
and  magnificent  sacraments. 

485.  It  was  now  time  to  call  saint  Joseph,  the  faithful 
spouse  of  the  most  discreet  and  attentive  Lady.  As  I  have 
said  above  (No.  472)  he  was  wrapped  in  ecstasy,  in  which 
he  was  informed  by  divine  revelation  of  all  the  mysteries 
of  this  sacred  Birth  during  this  night.  But  it  was  be- 
coming that  he  should  see,  and,  before  all  other  mortals, 
should  in  his  corporeal  faculties  and  senses  be  present 
and  experience,  adore  and  reverence  the  Word  made 
flesh ;  for  he  of  all  others  had  been  chosen  to  act  as  the 
faithful  warden  of  this  great  sacrament.  At  the  desire 
of  his  heavenly  Spouse  he  issued  from  his  ecstasy  and, 
on  being  restored  to  consciousness,  the  first  sight  of  his 
eyes  was  the  divine  Child  in  the  arms  of  the  Virgin 
Mother  reclining  against  her  sacred  countenance  and 
breast.  There  he  adored  Him  in  profoundest  humility 
and  in  tears  of  joy.  He  kissed  his  feet  in  great  joy  and 
admiration,  which  no  doubt  would  have  taken  away  and 
destroyed  life  in  him,  if  divine  power  had  not  preserved 
it ;  and  he  certainly  would  have  lost  all  the  use  of  his 
senses,  if  the  occasion  had  permitted.  When  saint  Joseph 
had  begun  to  adore  the  Child,  the  most  prudent  Mother 
asked  leave  of  her  Son  to  arise  (for  until  then  She  had 
remained  on  her  knees)  and,  while  saint  Joseph  handed 
Her  the  wrappings  and  swaddling-clothes,  which  She  had 
brought.  She  clothed  Him  with  incomparable  reverence, 
devotion  and  tenderness.  Having  thus  swathed  and 
clothed  Him,  his  Mother,  with  heavenly  wisdom,  laid  Him 
in  the  crib,  as  related  by  saint  Luke  (Luke  2,  7).    For 


408  CITY   OF   GOD 

this  purpose  She  had  arranged  some  straw  and  hay  upon 
a  stone  in  order  to  prepare  for  the  God-Man  his  first 
resting-place  upon  earth  next  to  that  which  He  had  found 
in  her  arms.  According  to  divine  ordainment  an  ox  from 
the  neighboring  fields  ran  up  in  great  haste  and,  entering 
the  cave,  joined  the  beast  of  burden  brought  by  the 
Queen.  The  blessed  Mother  commanded  them,  with 
what  show  of  reverence  was  possible  to  them  to  acknowl- 
edge and  adore  their  Creator.  The  humble  animals 
obeyed  their  Mistress  and  prostrated  themselves  before 
the  Child,  warming  Him  with  their  breath  and  render- 
ing Him  the  service  refused  by  men.  And  thus  the  God 
made  man  was  placed  between  two  animals,  wrapped  in 
swaddling-clothes  and  wonderfully  fulfilling  the  proph- 
ecy, that  "the  ox  knoweth  his  owner,  and  the  ass  his 
master's  crib;  but  Israel  hath  not  known  me,  and  my 
people  hath  not  understood." 

TEACHING  OP  The  MOST  HOLY  QUEEN  MARY. 

486.  My  daughter,  if  men  would  keep  their  heart  dis- 
engaged and  if  they  would  rightly  and  worthily  consider 
this  great  sacrament  of  the  kindness  of  the  Most  High 
towards  men,  it  would  be  a  powerful  means  of  conduct- 
ing them  in  the  pathway  of  life  and  subjecting  them  to 
the  love  of  their  Creator  and  Redeemer.  For  as  men 
are  capable  of  reasoning,  if  they  would  only  make  use. of 
their  freedom  to  treat  this  sacrament  with  the  reverence 
due  to  its  greatness,  who  would  be  so  hardened  as  not  to 
be  moved  to  tenderness  at  the  sight  of  their  God  become 
man,  humiliated  in  poverty,  despised,  unknown,  enter- 
ing the  world  in  a  cave,  lying  in  a  manger  surrounded 
by  brute  animals,  protected  only  by  a  poverty-stricken 
Mother,  and  cast  off  by  the   foolish  arrogance  of  the 


THE   INCARNATION  409 

world?  Who  will  dare  to  love  the  vanity  and  pride, 
which  was  openly  abhorred  and  condemned  by  the  Crea- 
tor of  heaven  and  earth  in  his  conduct?  No  one  can 
despise  the  humility,  poverty  and  indigence,  which  the 
Lord  loved  and  chose  for  Himself  as  the  very  means  of 
teaching  the  way  of  eternal  life.  Few  there  are,  who  stop 
to  consider  this  truth  and  example:  and  on  account  of 
this  vile  ingratitude  only  the  few  will  reap  the  fruit  of 
these  great  sacraments. 

487.  But  if  the  condescension  of  my  most  holy  Son 
was  so  great  as  to  bestow  so  liberally  upon  thee  his  light 
and  knowledge  concerning  these  vast  blessings,  ponder 
well  how  much  thou  art  bound  to  co-operate  with  this 
light.  In  order  that  thou  mayest  correspond  to  this  ob- 
ligation, I  remind  and  exhort  thee  to  forget  all  that  is 
of  earth  and  lose  it  out  of  thy  sight;  that  thou  seek 
nothing,  or  engage  thyself  with  nothing  except  what  can 
help  thee  to  withdraw  and  detach  thee  from  the  world 
and  its  inhabitants;  so  that,  with  a  heart  freed  from  all 
terrestrial  affection,  thou  dispose  thyself  to  celebrate  in 
it  the  mysteries  of  the  poverty,  humility  and  divine  love 
of  the  incarnate  God.  Learn  from  my  example  the  rev- 
erence, fear  and  respect,  with  which  thou  must  treat  Him, 
remembering  how  I  acted,  when  I  held  Him  in  my  arms ; 
follow  my  example,  whenever  thou  receivest  Him  in  thy 
heart  in  the  venerable  sacrament  of  the  holy  Eucharist, 
wherein  is  contained  the  same  God-Man,  who  was  born 
of  my  womb.  In  this  holy  Sacrament  thou  receivest  Him 
and  possessest  Him  just  as  really,  and  He  remains  in  thee 
just  as  actually,  as  I  possessed  Him  and  conversed  with 
Him,  although  in  another  manner. 

488.  I  desire  that  thou  go  even  to  extremes  in  this 
holy  reverence  and  fear ;  and  I  wish  that  thou  take  notice 
and  be  convinced,  that  in  entering  into  thy  heart  in  the 


410  CITY   OF   GOD 

holy  Sacrament,  thy  God  exhorts  thee  in  the  same  words, 
which  thou  hast  recorded  as  spoken  to  me:  become  Hke 
unto  Me.  His  coming  down  from  heaven  onto  the  earth, 
his  being  born  in  humihty  and  poverty,  his  living  and 
dying  in  it,  giving  such  rare  example  of  the  contempt  of 
the  world  and  its  deceits;  the  knowledge,  which  thou 
hast  received  concerning  his  conduct  and  which  thou  hast 
penetrated  so  deeply  by  divine  intelligence  :  all  these  things 
should  be  for  thee  like  living  voices,  which  thou  must 
heed  and  inscribe  into  the  interior  of  thy  heart.  These 
privileges  have  all  been  granted  to  thee  in  order  that  thou 
discreetly  use  the  common  blessings  to  their  fullest  ex- 
tent, and  in  order  that  thou  mayest  understand,  how 
thankful  thou  must  be  to  my  most  holy  Son  and  Lord, 
and  how  thou  shouldst  strive  to  make  as  great  a  return 
for  his  goodness,  as  if  He  had  come  from  heaven  to  re- 
deem thee  alone  and  as  if  He  had  instituted  all  his  won- 
ders and  doctrines  in  the  holy  Church  for  none  else  than 
thee  (Gal.  7,  20). 


CHAPTER  XI. 

The  holy  ANGEI^  ANNOUNCE  THE  BIRTH  OE  OUR  LORD 
IN  DIFFERENT  PARTS  OF  THE  WORLD,  AND  THE  SHEP- 
HERDS'COME  TO  ADORE  HIM, 

489.  After  the  courtiers  of  heaven  had  thus  celebrated 
the  birth  of  God  made  man  near  the  portals  of  Bethlehem, 
some  of  them  were  immediately  dispatched  to  different 
places,  in  order  to  announce  the  happy  news  to  those,  who 
according  to  the  divine  will  were  properly  disposed  to 
hear  it.  The  holy  prince  Michael  betook  himself  to  the 
holy  Patriarchs  in  limbo  and  announced  to  them,  how  the 
Onlybegotten  of  the  eternal  Father  was  already  bom 
into  the  world  and  was  resting,  humble  and  meek,  as 
they  had  prophesied,  in  a  manger  between  two  beasts. 
He  addressed  also  in  a  special  manner  holy  Joachim  and 
Anne  in  the  name  of  the  blessed  Mother,  who  had  en- 
joined this  upon  him;  he  congratulated  them,  that  their 
Daughter  now  held  in  her  arms  the  Desired  of  nations 
and  Him,  who  had  been  foretold  by  all  the  Patriarchs 
and  Prophets  (Is.  7,  14;  9,  7,  etc.).  It  was  the  most 
consoling  and  joyful  day,  which  this  great  gathering  of 
the  just  and  the  saints  had  yet  had  during  their  long  ban- 
ishment. All  of  them  acknowledged  this  new  Godman 
as  the  true  Author  of  eternal  salvation,  and  they  com- 
posed and  sang  new  songs  of  adoration  and  worship 
in  his  praise.  Saint  Joachim  and  Anne  enjoined  the 
messenger  of  heaven,  saint  Michael,  to  ask  Mary  their 
Daughter  to  worship  in  their  name  the  divine  Child,  the 
blessed  Fruit  of  her  womb ;  and  this  the  great  Queen  of 

411 


412  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  world  immediately  did  for  them,  listening-  with  great 
jubilee  to  all  that  the  holy  prince  reported  concerning 
the  Patriarchs  of  limbo. 

490.  Another  of  the  holy  angels  that  attended  and 
guarded  the  heavenly  Mother  was  sent  to  saint  Elisabeth 
and  her  son  John.  On  hearing  this  news  of  the  birth 
of  the  Redeemer,  the  prudent  matron  and  her  son,  al- 
though he  was  yet  of  so  tender  an  age,  prostrated  them- 
selves upon  the  earth  and  adored  their  God  made  man 
in  spirit  and  in  truth  (John  4,  23).  The  child  which  had 
been  consecrated  as  his  Precursor,  was  renewed  interiorly 
with  a  spirit  more  inflamed  than  that  of  Elias,  causing 
new  admiration  and  jubilation  in  the  angels  themselves. 
Saint  John  and  his  mother  requested  our  Queen  through 
the  angels,  that  She  in  the  name  of  them  both,  adore  her 
most  holy  Son  and  offer  Him  their  services ;  all  of  which 
the  heavenly  Queen  immediately  fulfilled. 

491.  Having  thus  been  informed  of  what  had  hap- 
pened, saint  Elisabeth  hastened  to  send  one  of  her  domes- 
tics to  Bethlehem  with  presents  for  the  blessed  Mother 
and  the  infant  God.  They  consisted  in  some  money,  some 
linen  and  other  things  for  the  comfort  of  the  newly  bom 
and  of  his  poor  Mother  and  her  spouse.  The  servant 
betook  himself  on  the  way  with  no  other  instruction  than 
that  he  visit  the  blessed  Virgin  and  saint  Joseph  and  take 
notice  of  what  comfort  or  want  was  theirs,  so  that  he 
might  bring  back  certain  information  of  their  circum- 
stances and  well-being.  He  had  no  other  knowledge  of 
the  sacrament,  except  what  he  himself  could  perceive 
with  his  own  eyes;  but  renewed  and  touched  by  an  in- 
terior and  divine  force  he  came  back  and  in  wonderful 
jubilee  described  to  saint  Elisabeth  the  poverty  and  the 
charming  grace  of  her  Cousin,  of  the  Child  and  of  saint 
Joseph,  and  what  feelings  were  excited  in  him  on  behold- 


THE   INCARNATION  413 

ing  them.  Admirable  were  the  sentiments  roused  in  the 
godly  matron  by  his  ingenuous  narration.  If  it  had  not 
been  for  the  will  of  God,  that  the  secret  and  privacy  of 
this  high  sacrament  should  be  preserved,  she  could  not 
have  restrained  herself  from  visiting  the  Virgin  Mother 
and  the  newborn  God.  Of  the  things  sent  by  her,  the 
Queen  appropriated  some  for  relieving  their  extreme 
poverty,  while  She  distributed  the  rest  of  them  to  the 
poor;  for  She  did  not  wish  to  be  deprived  of  the  com- 
pany of  the  poor  during  the  days  in  which  She  would 
have  to  remain  in  the  portal  or  cave  of  the  Nativity. 

492.  Other  angels  were  delegated  to  bring  the  news  to 
Zachary,  Simeon  and  Anne,  the  prophetess,  and  to  some 
other  just  and  holy  people,  who  were  worthy  to  be  trusted 
with  this  new  mystery  of  our  Redemption;  for  as  the 
Lord  found  them  prepared  to  receive  this  news  with 
gratitude  and  with  benefit  to  themselves.  He  considered 
it  a  just  due  to  their  virtue  not  to  hide  from  them  the 
blessing  conferred  upon  the  human  race.  Although  not 
all  the  just  upon  earth  were  informed  at  that  time  of  this 
sacrament;  yet  in  all  of  them  were  wrought  certain 
divine  eflfects  in  the  hour  in  which  the  Savior  of  the 
world  was  born.  For  all  the  just  felt  in  their  hearts  a 
new  and  supernatural  joy,  though  they  were  ignorant  of 
its  cause.  There  were  not  only  movements  of  joy  in  the 
angels  and  in  the  just,  but  also  wonderful  movements 
in  the  insensible  creatures;  for  all  the  influences  of  the 
planets  were  renovated  and  enlivened.  The  sun  much 
accelerated  its  course;  the  stars  shone  in  greater  bright- 
ness ;  and  for  the  Magi  kings  was  formed  that  wonderful 
star,  which  showed  them  the  way  to  Bethlehem  (Matth. 
2,2).  Many  trees  began  to  bloom  and  others  to  produce 
fruit.  Some  temples  of  the  idols  were  overthrown ;  and 
in  others  the  idols  were  hurled  down  and  their  demons 

2-28 


414  CITY    OF    GOD 

put  to  flight.  These  wonders  and  other  happenings  in 
the  world  on  that  day  men  accounted  for  in  different 
ways,  but  far  from  the  truth.  Only  among  the  just  there 
were  many,  who  by  divine  impulse  suspected  or  believed 
that  God  had  come  into  the  world;  yet  no  one  knew  it 
with  certainty,  except  those  to  whom  it  was  revealed. 
Among  these  were  the  three  Magi,  to  each  of  whom  in 
their  separate  Oriental  kingdoms  angels  of  the  Queen's 
guard  were  sent  to  inform  them  by  interior  and  intellect- 
ual enlightenment  that  the  Redeemer  of  the  human  race 
had  been  born  in  poverty  and  humility.  At  the  same 
time  they  were  inspired  with  the  sudden  desire  of  seek- 
ing Him  and  adoring  Him  and  immediately  they  saw  the 
star  as  a  guide  to  Bethlehem,  as  I  will  relate  farther  on. 
493.  Amongst  all  these,  the  shepherds  of  that  region, 
who  were  watching  their  flocks  at  the  time  of  the  birth 
of  Christ,  were  especially  blessed  (Luke  2,  8)  ;  not  only 
because  they  accepted  the  labor  and  inconvenience  of 
their  calling  with  resignation  from  the  hand  of  God ;  but 
also  because,  being  poor  and  humble,  and  despised  by  the 
world,  they  belonged  in  sincerity  and  uprightness  of 
heart  to  those  Israelites,  who  fervently  hoped  and  longed 
for  the  coming  of  the  Messias,  speaking  and  discoursing 
of  Him  among  themselves  many  times.  They  resembled 
the  Author  of  life,  as  they  were  removed  from  the  riches, 
vanity  and  ostentation  of  the  world  and  far  from  its  dia- 
bolical cunning  (John  10,  14).  They  exhibited  in  the 
circumstances  of  their  calling  the  office,  which  the  good 
Shepherd  had  come  to  fulfill  in  knowing  his  Sheep  and 
being  known  to  them.  Hence  they  merited  to  be  called 
and  invited,  as  the  first  fruits  of  the  saints  by  the  Savior 
himself,  to  be  the  very  first  ones,  to  whom  the  eternal 
and  incarnate  Word  manifested  Himself  and  by  whom 
He  wished  to  be  praised,  served  and  adored.    Hence  the 


THE   INCARNATION  415 

archangel  Gabriel  was  sent  to  them  as  they  watched  on 
the  field,  appearing  to  them  in  human  form  and  with 
great  splendor. 

494.  The  shepherds  found  themselves  suddenly  en- 
veloped and  bathed  in  the  celestial  radiance  of  the  angel, 
and  at  his  sight,  being  little  versed  in  such  visions,  they 
were  filled  with  great  fear.  The  holy  prince  reassured 
them  and  said:  "Ye  upright  men,  be  not  afraid:  for  I 
announce  to  you  tidings  of  great  joy,  which  is,  that  for 
you  is  born  today  the  Redeemer  Christ,  our  Lord,  in 
the  city  of  David.  And  as  a  sign  of  this  truth,  I  announce 
to  you,  that  you  shall  find  the  Infant  wrapped  in  swad- 
dling-clothes and  placed  in  a  manger"  (Luke  2,  10,  12). 
At  these  words  of  the  angel,  suddenly  appeared  a  great 
multitude  of  the  celestial  army,  who  in  voices  of  sweet 
harmony  sang  to  the  Most  High  these  words :  "Glory  to 
God  in  the  highest  and  on  earth  peace  to  men  of  good 
will."  Rehearsing  this  divine  canticle,  so  new  to  the 
world,  the  holy  angels  disappeared.  All  this  happened 
in  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night.  By  this  angelic  vision 
the  humble  and  fortunate  shepherds  were  filled  with 
divine  enlightenment  and  were  unanimously  impelled  by 
a  fervent  longing  to  make  certain  of  this  blessing  and  to 
witness  with  their  own  eyes  the  most  high  mystery  of 
which  they  had  been  informed. 

495.  The  signs  which  the  holy  angels  had  indicated 
to  them  did  not  seem  appropriate  or  proportioned  for 
attesting  the  greatness  of  the  Newborn  to  eyes  of  the 
flesh.  For  to  lie  in  a  manger  and  to  be  wrapped  in 
swaddling-clothes,  would  not  have  been  convincing  proof 
of  the  majesty  of  a  king,  if  these  shepherds  had  not  been 
illumined  by  divine  light  and  been  enabled  to  penetrate 
the  mystery.  As  they  were  free  from  the  arrogant  wis- 
dom of  the  world,  they  were  easily  made  proficient  in 


416  CITY    OF    GOD 

the  divine  wisdom.  Conferring  among  themselves  the 
thoughts  excited  by  this  message,  they  resolved  to  hasten 
in  all  speed  to  Bethlehem  and  see  the  wonder  made  known 
to  them  by  the  Lord.  They  departed  without  delay  and 
entering  the  cave  or  portal,  they  found,  as  saint  Luke 
tells  us,  Mary  and  Joseph,  and  the  Infant  lying  in  a 
manger.  Seeing  all  this  they  recognized  the  truth  of  what 
they  had  heard  of  the  Child.  Upon  this  followed  an  in- 
terior enlightenment  consequent  upon  seeing  the  Word 
made  flesh;  for  when  the  shepherds  looked  upon  Him, 
He  also  glanced  at  them,  emitting  from  his  countenance 
a  great  effulgence,  which  wounded  with  love  the  sincere 
heart  of  each  of  these  poor  yet  fortunate  men ;  with  divine 
efficiency  it  changed  them  and  renewed  them,  constituting 
them  in  a  new  state  of  grace  and  holiness  and  filling  them 
with  an  exalted  knowledge  of  the  divine  mysteries  of  the 
Incarnation  and  the  Redemption  of  the  human  race. 

496.  Prostrating  themselves  on  the  earth  they  adored 
the  Word  made  flesh.  Not  any  more  as  ignorant  rustics, 
but  as  wise  and  prudent  men  they  adored  Him,  acknowl- 
edged and  magnified  Him  as  true  God  and  man,  as  Re- 
storer and  Redeemer  of  the  human  race.  Tlie  heavenly 
Lady  and  Mother  of  the  Child  took  notice  of  all  that  they 
did  interiorly  and  exteriorly;  for  She  saw  into  their  in- 
most hearts.  In  highest  wisdom  and  prudence  She  pre- 
served the  memory  of  all  these  happenings  and  pondered 
them  in  her  soul,  (Luke  2,  19),  comparing  them  with 
the  other  mysteries  therein  contained  and  with  the  holy 
prophecies  and  sayings  of  the  Scriptures.  As  She  was 
then  the  organ  of  the  holy  Spirit  and  the  representative 
of  the  Infant,  She  spoke  to  the  shepherds,  instructing 
and  exhorting  them  to  persevere  in  divine  love  and  in  the 
service  of  the  Most  High.  They  also  conversed  with  Her 
on  their  part  and  showed  by  their  answers  that  they  un- 


THE   INCARNATION  417 

derstood  many  of  the  mysteries.  They  remained  in  the 
cave  from  the  beginning  of  dawn  until  mid-day,  when, 
having  given  them  something  to  eat,  our  great  Queen 
sent  them  off  full  of  heavenly  grace  and  consolation. 

497,  During  the  days  in  which  most  holy  Mary,  the 
Child  and  saint  Joseph  remained  in  the  gates  of  Bethle- 
hem, these  holy  shepherds  returned  a  few  times  and 
brought  such  presents  as  in  their  poverty  they  could  spare. 
What  saint  Luke  says  about  those  that  wondered  at  what 
the  shepherds  said  concerning  the  holy  Family,  happened 
later,  after  the  Queen,  the  Child  and  saint  Joseph  had  de- 
parted and  fled  from  the  neighborhood  of  Bethlehem; 
for  divine  Providence  so  arranged  things,  that  the 
shepherds  were  unable  to  spread  about  these  news  before 
that  time.  Not  all  of  those  that  heard  them  speaking  about 
this  matter  believed  them,  for  they  held  them  to  be  uncul- 
tured and  ignorant  people.  These  shepherds  however 
were  saints  and  were  filled  with  divine  knowledge  until 
they  died.  Among  those  who  believed  them  was  Herod, 
although  not  because  of  any  laudable  faith  or  piety,  but 
on  account  of  his  worldly  and  wicked  fear  of  losing  his 
kingdom.  Among  the  children,  who  merited  to  be  sacri- 
ficed by  him,  there  were  also  some  belonging  to  these  holy 
men.  Their  parents  consented  joyfully  to  the  martyr- 
dom, which  the  children  themselves  desired  and  offering 
themselves  up  to  the  Lord,  whom  they  were  made  to 
know  beforehand. 

INSTRUCTION  01^  THE  MOST  HOLY  QUEEN  MARY. 

498.  My  daughter,  forgetfulness  and  inattention  re- 
garding the  works  of  the  Redeemer  are  as  reprehensible 
as  they  are  common  and  frequent  among  mortals.  Yet 
these  works  are  most  mysterious,  loving,  merciful  and  in- 


418  CITY   OF   GOD 

structive.  Thou  hast  been  called  and  chosen  to  receive 
knowledge  and  enlightenment  for  avoiding  such  dan- 
gerous and  gross  torpidity ;  therefore  I  wish,  that  in  the 
mysteries  thou  hast  just  written,  thou  take  notice  of  and 
ponder  over  the  burning  love  of  my  most  holy  Son  in  com- 
municating Himself  to  men  as  soon  as  He  was  born,  in 
order  to  make  them  immediate  partakers  of  the  joyful 
fruit  of  his  coming.  Men  do  not  know  of  this  obliga- 
tion, because  few  of  them  penetrate  to  the  significance 
of  this  great  blessing,  just  as  there  were  few  who  saw 
the  Word  at  his  Birth  and  thanked  Him  for  his  arrival. 
They  are  not  aware  of  the  cause  of  their  evil  state  and 
of  their  blindness,  which  neither  was  nor  is  to  be  ascribed 
to  the  Lord  nor  to  any  fault  in  his  love,  but  to  the  sins 
and  the  bad  dispositions  of  men.  If  their  own  bad  dis- 
positions would  not  impede  or  make  them  unworthy  of 
this  favor,  the  same  light,  which  was  given  to  the  just, 
to  the  shepherds  and  to  the  kings,  would  have  been 
vouchsafed  to  all  or  to  many.  That  there  should  be  so 
few,  will  make  thee  understand  in  what  an  unhappy 
condition  the  world  was  at  the  time  of  the  coming  of  the 
incarnate  Word ;  and  also  the  unhappiness  of  the  present 
times,  when  these  mysteries  have  become  so  evident  and 
when  grateful  memory  of  them  is  become  so  scarce. 

499.  Consider  the  wicked  disposition  of  mortals  in 
the  present  age,  in  which  the  light  of  the  Gospel  has  been 
spread  out  and  confirmed  by  so  many  miracles  wrought 
by  God  in  his  Church.  In  spite  of  all  this  there  are  so 
few,  who  are  perfect  and  who  seek  to  dispose  themselves 
for  greater  participation  in  the  fruits  and  benefits  of  the 
Redemption,  Although  the  number  of  fools  is  so  great 
and  the  vices  are  become  so  measureless,  there  are  those 
who  think,  that  also  the  perfect  are  numerous,  because, 
forsooth,  men  do  not  so  openly  dare  to  act  in  opposition 


THE   INCARNATION  419 

to  God :  there  are  fewer  than  one  thinks,  and  many  less 
than  there  should  be,  seeing  that  God  is  so  much  offended 
by  the  infidels  and  continually  desires  to  communicate 
the  treasures  of  grace  in  his  Church  according  to  the 
merits  of  his  Onlybegotten  made  man.  Be  mindful, 
dearest,  of  the  obligation  imposed  upon  thee  by  thy  clear 
knowledge  of  these  truths.  Live  cautiously,  with  great 
attention  and  watchfulness  correspond  to  his  graces,  los- 
ing no  time,  occasion  or  circumstance  for  acting  in  the 
most  holy  and  perfect  manner  known  to  thee;  for  thou 
canst  not  fulfill  thy  duty  otherwise.  Remember  what 
I  tell  thee,  command  and  urge  upon  thee,  that  thou  re- 
ceive not  such  great  favor  in  vain  (II  Cor.  6,  1);  do 
not  allow  thy  grace  and  light  to  be  without  profit,  but 
make  use  of  them  in  the  perfection  of  thankfulness. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WHAT  WAS  CONCEALED  FROM  THE  DEMON  CONCERNING 
THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  INCARNATE 
WORD,  AND  OF  OTHER  HAPPENINGS  UNTII.  THE  CIR- 
CUMCISION. 

500.  As  far  as  depended  upon  the  Lord  the  coming 
of  the  eternal  Word  as  man  was  most  fortunate  and 
blessed  for  all  the  mortals ;  for  He  came  in  order  to  give 
light  and  life  to  all  those  that  were  in  darkness  and  in 
the  shadows  of  death  (Luke  1,  79).  If  the  foreknown 
and  incredulous  stumbled  and  hurt  themselves  on  this 
cornerstone  (Rom.  9,  33),  seeking  ruin  where  they  could 
and  should  have  found  resurrection  to  an  eternal  life, 
that  was  not  the  fault  of  the  stone,  but  of  those  that 
made  of  it  an  occasion  of  scandal  and  of  harm  to  them- 
selves. Only  for  hell  the  birth  of  the  infant  God  was 
terrible,  since  He  was  the  strong  and  invincible  One, 
who  came  to  despoil  that  armed  enemy  of  his  tyrannous 
rule,  founded  in  lies  (Psalm  23,  8),  who  had  held  his 
fortification  in  unjust  yet  peaceful  possession  for  a  long 
time.  In  order  to  depose  this  prince  of  the  world  and 
of  darkness,  it  was  befitting,  that  the  sacrament  of  the 
coming  of  the  Word  should  be  hidden  from  him.  Be- 
cause of  his  malice  he  was  not  only  unworthy  to  be 
informed  of  the  mysteries  of  the  divine  wisdom  (Wisd. 
2,  21,  24)  ;  but  it  was  just  that  by  divine  Providence  the 
malice  of  this  enemy  should  be  blinded  and  confused;  in 
his  malice  he  had  brought  into  the  world  the  deceit  and 

420 


THE    INCARNATION  421 

blindness  of  sin  and  cast  down  the  whole  human  race 
by  the  fall  of  Adam. 

501.  Accordingly  Lucifer  and  his  ministers  were  left 
in  ignorance  of  many  things,  which  they  could  naturally 
have  known  concerning  the  incarnation  of  the  Word  and 
other  events  in  the  course  of  his  most  holy  life,  a  fact 
which  it  is  necessary  to  take  notice  of  in  this  history  (Nos. 
326,  Vol.  Ill,  217,  226,  284).  For  if  he  had  known  for 
certain,  that  Qirist  was  the  true  God,  he  evidently  would 
not  have  procured  his  death  (I  Cor.  2,  8),  but  he  would 
have  sought  to  prevent  it,  as  will  be  said  in  its  proper 
place  (Vol.  Ill,  494,  540,  613).  Concerning  the  mystery 
of  the  Nativity  he  knew  only  that  most  holy  Mary  had 
given  birth  to  a  Son  in  poverty  and  in  a  forsaken  cave, 
and  that  She  had  not  found  even  lodging  and  shelter; 
also  that  the  Child  was  circumcised  and  otherwise  treated 
as  mere  man:  all  of  which  was  calculated  rather  to  mis- 
lead his  pride  than  to  enlighten  it.  But  he  was  ignorant 
of  the  manner  of  his  Birth,  and  of  the  virginity  of  the 
blessed  Mother  before  and  after  the  Birth;  likewise  of 
the  message  of  the  angels  to  the  just,  and  to  the 
shepherds;  of  their  conversations,  and  of  their  adora- 
tion of  the  infant  God.  Nor  did  he  see  the  star, 
nor  did  he  know  the  purpose  of  the  kings  in  coming 
to  Bethlehem,  although  he  saw  them  make  the  journey 
and  attributed  it  to  some  worldly  enterprise.  The  de- 
mons were  also  unable  to  account  for  the  changes  in 
the  elements,  the  stars  and  planets;  though  they  well 
perceived  these  changes  and  wonderful  effects.  They 
misjudged  the  words  of  the  Magi  in  the  presence  of 
Herod,  their  arrival  at  the  stable  and  the  adoration,  and 
the  gifts  offered.  Notwithstanding,  that  they  perceived 
the  fury  of  Herod  against  the  children  and  abetted  it; 
yet  they  did  not  understand  his  object  and  they  stirred 


422  CITY   OF   GOD 

up  his  cruelty.  Although  Lucifer  suspected,  that  Herod 
was  seeking  to  kill  the  Messias,  he  considered  him  de- 
mented and  treated  him  with  derision.  For  in  his  pride 
he  obstinately  held  fast  to  the  opinion,  that  the  Word, 
upon  entering  into  the  world  in  order  to  set  up  his 
dominion,  would  not  come  humbly  and  in  a  hidden 
manner,  but  with  ostentatious  power  and  majesty,  while 
in  reality  the  infant  God  chose  a  far  different  way,  being 
born  of  a  Mother  poor  and  despised  by  men. 

502.  Thus  misled,  Lucifer,  having  noticed  some  of 
the  strange  events  connected  with  the  Nativity,  called 
together  his  helpers  in  hell,  and  said  to  them :  "I  do  not 
find  any  occasion  for  fear  in  the  events,  which  we  have 
noticed  in  the  world.  It  is  true,  the  Woman  whom  we 
persecuted  so  much,  has  given  birth  to  a  Son,  but  in 
such  poverty  and  neglect,  that  She  could  not  even  pro- 
cure a  lodging-place  in  order  to  be  delivered.  We  know 
all  this  to  be  far  from  the  power  and  greatness  of  God. 
If  He  is  to  advance  against  us  as  weak  as  we  have  seen 
this  Child  and  as  we  have  assured  ourselves  concerning 
It,  He  certainly  can  make  no  headway  against  our  power. 
We  need  not  fear  that  He  is  the  Messias,  since  there 
is  even  a  plot  to  kill  Him  as  being  mortal  like  the  rest 
of  men.  This  does  not  seem  to  point  to  the  salvation 
of  the  world,  since  He  himself  seems  to  stand  in  need 
of  atoning  for  his  fault  by  death.  All  these  signs  con- 
flict with  the  purpose  of  the  Messias  in  coming  into  the 
world  and  therefore  it  seems  to  me,  that  we  can  rest 
assured,  that  He  has  not  yet  come."  The  ministers  of 
evil  approved  of  the  decision  of  their  damned  chief  and 
they  were  all  satisfied,  that  the  Messias  had  not  yet 
come,  for  they  were  all  accomplices  in  the  malice  and 
pride  which  blinded  him  (Wis,  2,  21).  It  never  occurred 
to  satan  in  his  vanity  and  indomitable  pride,  that  the 


THE    INCARNATION  423 

majesty  and  greatness  of  God  should  humiliate  itself; 
because  he  himself  sought  after  applause,  ostentation, 
reverence  and  exaltation,  wishing  if  possible  to  appro- 
priate all  honor  to  himself.  Since  all  honor  was  attain- 
able by  God,  it  never  entered  his  mind,  that  He  would 
consent  to  the  contrary  and  subject  Himself  to  humilia- 
tion, so  much  abhorred  by  the  spirits  of  evil. 

503.  O  sons  of  vanity!  What  examples  are  not  here 
given  to  you  for  your  enlightenment!  Great  is  the 
lesson,  which  the  humility  of  Christ,  our  Teacher  and 
our  highest  Good,  teaches  and  urges  upon  us :  but  if 
this  does  not  move  us,  let  the  pride  of  Lucifer  at  least 
deter  and  frighten  us.  O  vice,  O  sin,  dreadful  beyond 
human  imagination !  since  it  confused  an  angel  of  such 
high  intellect  so  much,  that  he  could  judge  of  the  in- 
finite bounty  by  no  other  standard  than  that  by  which 
he  judged  himself  and  of  his  own  malicious  disposi- 
tion! How  far  then  does  not  man  proceed  in  malice, 
if  to  his  ignorance  he  joins  guilt  and  pride?  O  un- 
happy and  most  foolish  Lucifer!  How  far  didst  thou 
go  astray  in  judging  of  so  reasonable  and  commendable 
a  proceeding!  What  is  more  beautiful  than  humility 
and  meekness  joined  with  majesty  and  power?  Why 
dost  thou  fail  to  see,  insignificant  creature,  that  not  to 
know  how  to  humiliate  thyself  is  only  weakness  of  mind 
and  comes  from  a  base  heart?  The  magnanimous  and 
truly  great  do  not  seek  payment  in  vanity,  nor  do  they 
seek  after  what  is  low,  nor  can  they  be  satisfied  with  what 
is  false  and  apparent.  It  is  evident,  O  Lucifer,  that  thou 
art  shut  out  from  truth  and  but  an  ignorant  guide  for 
the  blind  (Matth.  15,  14)  ;  since  thou  didst  fail  to  un- 
derstand, that  the  greatness  of  the  bounty  and  love  of 
God   (Rom.   5,  8)   manifested  and  magnified  itself  in 


424  CITY   OF   GOD 

humility  and  obedience  even  to  the  death  of  the  Cross 
(Phil  2,  8). 

504.  All  these  errors  and  insanities  of  Lucifer  and  his 
ministers  were  known  to  the  Mother  of  wisdom  and 
our  Mistress;  and  with  a  just  appreciation  of  such  high 
mysteries  She  magnified  and  blessed  the  Lord,  because 
He  had  concealed  them  from  the  proud  and  arrogant  and 
revealed  them  to  the  poor  and  humble,  thus  beginning  to 
overcome  the  tyranny  of  the  demons  (Matth.  11,  25). 
The  kind  Mother  offered  up  fervent  prayers  for  all  the 
mortals,  who  on  account  of  their  faults  were  unworthy 
of  seeing  the  light,  which  for  their  salvation  had  ap- 
peared in  the  world;  of  all  this  She  reminded  her  most 
sweet  Son  with  incomparable  compassion  and  love  for 
sinners.  In  these  affections  She  spent  most  of  the  time 
of  her  stay  in  the  cave  of  the  Nativity.  But  as  this 
place  was  bare  of  all  comfort  and  much  exposed  to  the 
inclemencies  of  the  weather,  the  great  Lady  was  most 
solicitous  for  the  shelter  of  her  tender  and  sweet  Child. 
As  a  most  prudent  Mother  She  had  brought  along  a 
mantle,  with  which  She  covered  Him  in  addition  to  the 
ordinary  swaddling-clothes.  Moreover  She  held  Him  con- 
tinually in  the  embrace  of  her  sacred  arms,  except  at 
times,  when,  in  order  to  make  saint  Joseph  happy,  She 
asked  him  to  hold  his  incarnate  God  in  his  arms  and 
serve  him  as  a  father. 

505.  When  for  the  first  time  She  placed  the  infant 
God  in  his  arms,  the  most  holy  Mary  said  to  him :  "My 
husband  and  my  helper,  receive  in  thy  arms  the  Creator 
of  heaven  and  earth  and  enjoy  his  amiable  and  sweet 
company,  in  order  that  my  Lord  and  my  God  may  be 
delighted  and  recompensed  by  thy  faithful  services 
(Prov.  8,  31).  Take  to  thyself  the  Treasure  of  the 
eternal  Father  and  participate  in  this  blessing  of  the  hu- 


THE   INCARNATION  425 

man  race."  And  speaking  interiorly  to  the  divine  In- 
fant, She  said :  "Sweetest  Love  of  my  soul  and  Light  of 
my  eyes,  rest  in  the  arms  of  Joseph,  my  friend  and 
spouse:  do  thou  hold  sweet  intercourse  with  him  and 
pardon  me  my  shortcomings.  Much  do  I  feel  the  loss 
of  Thee  even  for  one  instant,  but  I  wish  to  communicate 
without  envy  the  good  I  have  received,  to  all  that  are 
worthy"  (Wis.  7,  13).  Her  most  faithful  husband, 
acknowledging  this  new  blessing,  humbled  himself  to 
the  earth  and  answered:  "Lady  and  Sovereign  of  the 
world,  my  Spouse,  how  can  I,  being  so  unworthy,  pre- 
sume to  hold  in  my  arms  God  himself,  in  whose  presence 
tremble  the  pillars  of  heaven?  (Job  26,  11).  How  can 
this  vile  wormlet  have  courage  to  accept  such  an  exalted 
favor?  I  am  but  dust  and  ashes,  but  do  Thou,  Lady, 
assist  me  in  my  lowliness  and  ask  his  Majesty  to  look 
upon  me  with  clemency  and  make  me  worthy  through  his 
grace." 

506.  His  desire  of  holding  the  infant  God  and  his 
reverential  fear  of  Him  caused  in  saint  Joseph  heroic 
acts  of  love,  of  faith,  of  humility  and  profoundest  rev- 
erence. Trembling  with  discreet  fear  He  fell  on  his 
knees  to  receive  Him  from  the  hands  of  his  most  holy 
Mother,  while  sweetest  tears  of  joy  and  delight  copiously 
flowed  from  his  eyes  at  a  happiness  so  extraordinary. 
The  divine  Infant  looked  at  him  caressingly  and  at  the 
same  time  renewed  his  inmost  soul  with  such  divine  ef- 
ficacy as  no  words  will  suffice  to  explain.  He  broke  out 
in  new  canticles  of  praise  at  seeing  himself  thus  en- 
riched with  such  magnificent  blessings  and  favors.  After 
having  for  some  time  enjoyed  in  spirit  the  sweetest  ef- 
fects of  holding  in  his  arms  the  Lord,  who  contains 
heaven  and  earth  (Is.  40,  12),  He  replaced  Him  into  the 
arms  of  his  fortunate  Mother,  both  of  them  being  on 


426  CITY   OF   GOD 

their  knees  in  receiving  and  giving  Him.  Similar  rev- 
erence the  most  prudent  Mother  observed  every  time 
She  took  Him  up  or  relinquished  Him,  in  which  also 
saint  Joseph  imitated  Her,  as  often  as  it  was  his  happy- 
lot  to  hold  the  incarnate  Word.  When  they  approached 
his  Majesty,  they  also  made  three  genuflections,  kissing 
the  earth  and  exciting  heroic  acts  of  humility,  worship 
and  reverence.  Thus  both  the  great  Queen  and  the 
blessed  Joseph  observed  all  propriety  in  receiving  or  giv- 
ing the  Child  from  and  to  one  another. 

507.  When  the  heavenly  Mother  judged  it  time  to 
nourish  Him  at  her  breast,  She  reverently  asked  permis- 
sion of  her  Son;  for  although  She  knew,  that  She  was 
to  nourish  Him  as  her  true  and  human  Child,  She  never- 
theless bore  in  mind,  that  He  was  at  the  same  time  the 
true  God  and  Lord  and  that  a  great  distance  intervened 
between  the  infinite  Being  and  a  mere  creature  such  as 
She  was.  As  this  consciousness  was  unfailing  in  the 
most  prudent  Virgin,  her  reverence  remained  faultless 
and  undiminished  and  permitted  not  the  least  forgetful- 
ness  in  Her.  She  was  always  filled  with  a  comprehensive 
insight  and  She  always  reached  perfection  in  all  her  acts. 
Therefore  She  nourished,  served  and  tended  her  Child, 
not  with  an  uneasy  haste,  but  with  unremitting  care,  rev- 
erence and  discretion,  causing  ever  new  admiration  in 
the  angels,  whose  celestial  understanding  reached  not 
so  far  as  to  comprehend  such  heroic  acts  of  a  tender 
Maiden.  As  they  were  always  corporally  present  during 
the  time  which  She  spent  at  the  gates  of  Bethlehem,  they 
administered  to  Her  in  all  things  demanded  by  the  service 
of  the  infant  God  and  of  Her.  All  these  mysteries  are 
so  wonderful  and  admirable,  and  so  worthy  of  our  atten- 
tion and  remembrance,  that  we  cannot  deny  our  negli- 
gence in  forgetting  them,  and  we  cannot  acknowledge 


THE   INCARNATION  427 

sufficiently,  what  harm  we  are  doing  ourselves  in  ceas- 
ing to  think  of  them,  nor  do  we  sufficiently  understand 
the  divine  effect,  which  the  memory  of  them  produces  in 
the  faithful  and  grateful  children  of  the  Church. 

508.  From  what  has  been  revealed  to  me  of  the  rev- 
erence, with  which  most  holy  Mary  and  the  glorious 
saint  Joseph  as  well  as  the  angelic  hosts  treated  the  In- 
carnate God,  I  could  easily  extend  my  discourse  on  the 
subject.  Though  I  refrain,  I  yet  wish  to  confess  the 
want  of  reverence,  with  which  I  have  until  now  auda- 
ciously behaved  toward  God,  and  how  many  faults,  of 
which  I  have  been  guilty  toward  Him  in  this  respect, 
have  become  known  to  me.  As  I  said,  and  will  relate 
further  on,  in  order  to  assist  the  Queen,  all  the  angels 
of  her  guard  remained  present  in  visible  forms  from  the 
time  of  the  Birth  until  the  flight  of  the  Child  into  Egypt. 
The  solicitude  of  the  humble  and  loving  Mother  for 
her  divine  Infant  was  so  unremitting,  that  She  would 
not  part  with  Him  to  place  Him  in  the  arms  of  saint 
Joseph  or  into  those  of  the  holy  princes  Michael  or 
Gabriel,  except  on  rare  occasions  when  She  was  obliged 
to  take  some  nourishment;  for  these  two  archangels  had 
besought  Her,  to  consign  the  Child  to  their  care  during 
meals  or  when  saint  Joseph  was  at  his  work.  Thus  He 
was  placed  into  the  hands  of  the  angels,  in  admirable 
fulfillment  of  the  words  of  David :  "In  their  hands  they 
shall  bear  Thee  up,"  etc.  (Ps.  90,  12).  The  most  watch- 
ful Mother  would  not  take  any  sleep  in  her  solicitude  for 
her  most  holy  Son,  except  when  his  Majesty  commanded 
Her  to  do  so.  In  reward  for  her  diligence  He  provided 
for  Her  a  new  and  more  miraculous  kind  of  sleep  than 
that  which  She  had  until  then  enjoyed;  for  while  She 
slept,  her  heart  was  awake,  continuing  or  rather  not  in- 
terrupting the  divine  intelligence  and  contemplation  of 


428  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  Divinity  (Cant.  5,  2).  But  from  this  day  on  the 
Lord  added  still  another  miracle,  namely,  during  the 
sleep,  which  was  necessary.  She  retained  in  her  arms 
the  power  of  holding  and  embracing  the  Child  in  the 
same  way  as  if  She  were  awake;  and  She  gazed  upon 
Him  with  the  eyes  of  her  intellect,  as  if  She  were  look- 
ing upon  Him  with  her  bodily  eyes,  understanding  all 
that  She  herself  and  her  Child  did  exteriorly  in  the  mean- 
while. Thus  was  miraculously  fulfilled,  what  is  said  in 
the  Canticles :  "I  sleep,  but  my  heart  is  awake." 

509.  The  canticles  of  praise  and  exaltation  of  the  Lord, 
which  our  celestial  Queen  composed  in  honor  of  the 
Child,  alternately  singing  them  with  the  holy  angels  and 
also  with  her  spouse  Joseph,  I  cannot  expfess  by  my 
limited  terms  of  speech.  Of  them  alone  there  would  be 
much  to  write,  for  they  were  uninterrupted;  but  the 
knowledge  of  them  is  reserved  for  the  special  enjoyment 
of  the  elect.  Among  all  mortals  the  most  faithful  Joseph 
was  privileged  and  blessed  in  this  respect,  for  in  many 
of  them  he  himself  participated  and  many  of  them  he 
understood.  Beside  this  he  enjoyed  another  favor,  of 
singular  benefit  and  consolation  to  his  soul  and  procured 
for  him  by  the  most  prudent  Virgin:  namely,  many 
times,  in  conversing  with  him  of  the  Child,  She  spoke 
of  Him  as  of  "our  Son"  (Luke  2,  48) ;  not  that  He 
was  the  natural  Son  of  saint  Joseph,  since  in  the  super- 
natural order  He  was  the  Son  of  the  eternal  Father  and 
in  the  natural  order,  the  Son  of  his  Virgin  Mother; 
but  because  in  the  opinion  of  men  He  was  reputed  to  be 
the  son  of  Joseph.  This  favor  and  privilege  was  of  in- 
estimable value  to  the  saint  and  caused  him  immeasur- 
able delight;  on  this  account  his  heavenly  Spouse  de- 
lighted in  using  this  appellation  when  conversing  about 
her  Son. 


THE   INCARNATION  429 

INSTRUCTION   WHICH  THE  QUEEN  AND  IvADY  OP  HEAVEN 

GAVE   ME. 

510.  My  daughter,  I  see  thee  full  of  devout  emulation 
of  the  happiness,  which  the  intercourse  with  my  Son  af- 
forded me,  my  spouse  and  the  holy  angels,  since  we  be- 
held Him  present  to  our  bodily  eyes  as  thou  desirest  for 
thyself,  if  it  were  possible.  I  wish  to  console  thee  and 
guide  thy  affections  toward  that  which  thou  thyself  canst 
and  shouldst  do  according  to  thy  condition  in  order  to 
attain  the  same  happiness  which  thou  covetest  in  us.  For 
this  purpose,  beloved,  recall  what  thou  hast  already  suf- 
ficiently understood  concerning  the  ways  of  God  in  rais- 
ing up  those  souls,  whom  He  seeks  with  paternal  love 
and  affection.  Thou  hast  attained  this  knowledge  by  be- 
ing favored  with  so  many  particular  calls  and  enlighten- 
ments of  the  Lord,  wherein  He  continually  waits  at  the 
portals  of  thy  heart,  and  urges  thee  onward  expecting 
thy  conversion  (Wis.  6,  15).  Thou  hast  seen  Him  draw- 
ing thee  to  Himself  by  repeated  favors  and  by  most 
exalted  doctrines,  selecting  thee  for  the  narrow  bands 
of  his  loving  intercourse  (Coloss.  3,  14) ;  and  the  great 
purity  due  to  this  concession. 

511.  Faith  likewise  teaches  thee,  that  God  is  present 
in  all  places  by  his  essence  and  by  the  power  of  his 
Divinity;  and  that  to  Him  are  open  all  thy  thoughts, 
thy  desires  and  sighs  without  exception.  If  thou  co- 
operate with  this  truth  so  as  to  preserve  the  graces, 
•which  thou  receivest  through  the  sacraments  and  other 
channels  divinely  instituted,  the  Lord  will  remain  with 
thee  also  by  divine  and  special  assistance;  and  in  it  He 
will  regale  thee  with  his  love  as  his  chosen  spouse.  Now 
since  thou  knowest  and  understandest  all  these  truths, 
tell  me,  what  more  canst  thou  envy  or  desire,  when  thou 

2-29 


430  CITY   OF   GOD 

already  possesses!  all  that  thou  so  anxiously  sighest 
after?  What  I  require  of  thee,  and  all  that  remains  for 
thee  to  do,  is,  that  thou  exert  thyself  in  holy  emulation 
to  imitate  this  intercourse  and  reproduce  in  thyself  the 
disposition  of  the  angels,  the  purity  of  my  husband,  and 
to  copy  in  thyself  my  life,  as  far  as  possible,  in  order  to  be 
a  fit  dwelling-place  of  the  Most  High  (I  Cor.  3,  17). 
Thou  must  direct  all  those  endeavors,  all  those  desires 
and  exertions,  with  which  thou  wouldst  have  wished  thy- 
self to  be  animated  if  thou  hadst  seen  and  adored  my 
most  holy  Son  in  his  birth  and  infancy,  toward  the  ful- 
fillment of  this  doctrine;  for  if  thou  imitatest  me,  thou 
mayest  rest  secure,  that  thou  hast  me  as  a  Teacher  and 
the  Lord  for  an  assured  possession  of  thy  soul.  In  this 
assurance  thou  canst  speak  to  Him,  embrace  Him  and 
delight  thyself  with  Him,  as  with  One  who  is  present; 
for  in  order  to  communicate  these  delights  to  the  pure 
and  untainted  souls  He  has  assumed  human  flesh  and 
become  a  Child.  But  always  look  upon  Him  as  the  great 
God,  though  a  Child,  in  order  that  thy  caresses  may  be 
guarded  by  reverence  and  thy  love  accompanied  by  holy 
fear;  for  the  one  is  due  to  Him  as  God,  and  the  other 
befits  his  immense  bounty  and  merciful  magnificence. 

512,  In  this  manner  of  intercourse  thou  must  continue 
without  intervals  of  lukewarmness,  lest  thou  disgust  Him. 
Thy  legitimate  and  chosen  occupation  should  be  none 
other  than  the  love  and  the  praise  of  the  infinite  God. 
All  the  rest  thou  must  enter  into  only  sparingly,  in  such 
a  way  as  if  visible  and  earthly  things  scarcely  concerned 
thee  and  cannot  detain  thee  even  for  a  moment.  Thou 
must  maintain  thyself  in  this  soaring  height,  so  that  thou 
seem  not  to  have  anything  earnestly  to  attend  to,  except 
to  seek  the  highest  and  true  God.  Me  thou  shouldst 
imitate  and  for  God  alone  thou  shouldst  live ;  all  the  rest 


THE    INCARNATION  431 

should  not  exist  for  thee,  nor  shouldst  thou  exist  for  it. 
But  the  gifts  and  blessings,  which  thou  receivest  I  wish 
thou  dispense  and  communicate  for  the  good  of  thy  fellow- 
men,  observing  the  perfect  order  of  holy  charity;  thus 
thy  gifts  will  not  evaporate,  but  be  still  more  increased 
(I  Cor.  13,  8).  In  all  this  thou  must  keep  the  regula- 
tions, which  befit  thy  condition  and  state,  as  I  have  already 
shown  and  instructed  thee  in  other  places  at  other  times. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ThS  most  HOIvY  MARY  IS  INFORMED  OF  THE  WII^L  OE  THE 
I<ORD,  THAT  HIS  ONIvYBEGOTTEN  SON  BE  CIRCUMCISED, 
AND  SHE  CONFERS  ABOUT  IT  WITH  SAINT  JOSEPH! 
THE  MOST  HOI.Y  NAME  OF  JESUS  IS  BROUGHT  FROM 
HEAVEN. 

513.  From  the  moment  the  most  prudent  Virgin  found 
Herself  chosen  as  the  Mother  of  the  divine  Word,  She  be- 
gan to  ponder  upon  the  labors  and  sufferings  in  store  for 
her  sweetest  Son.  As  her  knowledge  of  Scripture  was 
so  profound,  She  understood  all  the  mysteries  contained 
therein  and  She  began  to  foresee  and  prepare  with  in- 
comparable compassion  for  all  that  He  was  to  suffer 
for  the  Redemption  of  Man.  This  sorrow,  foreseen  and 
expected  with  such  a  full  knowledge  of  details,  was  a 
prolonged  martyrdom  for  the  most  meek  Mother  of  the 
sacrificial  Lamb  of  God  (Jer.  11,  19).  But  in  regard 
to  the  Circumcision,  which  was  to  take  place  after  the 
birth  of  the  Child,  the  heavenly  Lady  had  received  no 
command  or  intimation  of  the  will  of  the  eternal  Father. 
This  uncertainty  excited  the  loving  solicitude  and  sweet 
plaints  of  the  tender  and  affectionate  Mother,  Her  pru- 
dent foresight  enabled  Her  to  conjecture,  that,  as  her 
most  holy  Son  had  come  to  honor  and  confirm  his  law 
by  fulfilling  it  and  as  He  had  moreover  come  in  order 
to  suffer  for  men.  He  would  be  constrained  by  his  burning 
love  and  by  other  motives  to  undergo  the  pains  of  cir- 
cumcision. 

514.  On  the  other  hand  her  maternal  love  and  com- 

432 


THE   INCARNATION  433 

passion  longed  to  exempt  her  sweet  Child  if  possible, 
from  this  suffering;  moreover  She  knew,  that  circum- 
cision was  a  rite  instituted  for  cleansing  the  newborn 
children  from  original  sin,  whereas  the  divine  Infant 
was  entirely  free  from  this  guilt,  not  having  contracted 
it  in  Adam.  In  this  hesitation  between  love  of  her  divine 
Son  and  obedience  to  the  eternal  Father,  the  most  pru- 
dent Virgin  practiced  many  heroic  acts  of  virtue,  un- 
speakably pleasing  to  his  Majesty.  Although  She  could 
have  easily  escaped  this  uncertainty  by  directly  asking  the 
Lord  what  was  to  be  done ;  yet,  being  as  humble  as  She 
was  prudent,  She  refrained.  Neither  would  She  ask  her 
angels;  for  with  admirable  wisdom,  She  awaited  the 
opportune  time  and  occasion,  assigned  by  divine  Provi- 
dence for  all  things,  and  She  would  not  presume  curiously 
to  search  or  pry  into  his  decrees  by  consulting  supernat- 
ural sources  of  information,  especially  in  order  to  rid 
Herself  of  any  suffering.  When  any  grave  and  doubt- 
ful affair  arose,  in  which  there  was  danger  of  offending 
God,  or  some  urgent  undertaking  for  the  good  of  crea- 
tures, in  which  it  would  be  necessary  to  know  the  divine 
will.  She  first  asked  permission  to  submit  her  petition  for 
enlightenment  regarding  the  divine  pleasure. 

515.  This  does  not  conflict  with  what  I  said  in  book 
second,  chapter  tenth,  namely,  that  the  most  holy  Mary 
undertook  nothing  without  asking  permission  and  coun- 
sel of  God,  for  this  consultation  concerning  the  divine 
pleasure  was  not  coupled  with  the  desire  of  special  revela- 
tion. In  this  as  I  have  said,  She  was  most  discreet  and 
diffident,  rarely  asking  for  such  extraordinary  interven- 
tion. Without  aspiring  to  new  revelation  She  was  in 
the  habit  of  consulting  the  habitual  and  supernatural  aid 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  governed  and  guided  Her  in  all 
her  actions.     In  directing  Her  faculties  by  this  interior 


434  CITY   OF    GOD 

light,  She  perceived  the  greater  perfection  and  sanctity 
open  to  Her  in  the  affairs  and  transactions  of  every-day 
life.  Although  it  is  true,  that  the  Queen  of  heaven 
possessed  special  claims  and  rights  to  be  informed  of  the 
will  of  God  in  different  ways ;  yet,  as  She  was  the  model 
of  all  sanctity  and  discretion,  She  would  not  avail  Her- 
self of  this  supernatural  order  and  direction,  except  in 
such  cases  as  were  appropriate.  As  for  the  rest  She 
guided  Herself  by  fulfilling  to  the  letter  the  words  of 
David:  "As  the  eyes  of  the  handmaid  are  on  the  hands 
of  her  mistress,  so  are  our  eyes  unto  the  Lord  our  God, 
until  He  have  mercy  on  us"  (Ps.  122,  2).  But  this  nat- 
ural and  ordinary  light  in  the  Mistress  of  the  »vorld  was 
greater  than  that  of  all  the  mortals  together;  and  in  it 
She  sought  the  fiat  of  the  divine  will. 

516.  The  mystery  of  the  Circumcision  required  a 
special  and  particular  dispensation ;  it  demanded  a  sep- 
arate enlightenment  of  the  Lord,  and  for  this  the  pru- 
dent Mother  was  waiting.  In  the  meanwhile,  addressing 
in  these  words  the  law  that  required  it,  She  said:  "O 
law,  made  for  all,  thou  art  just  and  holy;  but  thou  dost 
afflict  my  heart  by  thy  hardness,  if  thou  art  to  wound 
Him,  who  is  thy  life  and  thy  Author !  That  thou  shouldst 
inflict  thy  sufferings  upon  those,  who  must  be  cleansed 
of  guilt,  is  just;  but  that  thou  shouldst  visit  with  thy 
severity  the  Innocent,  who  is  without  fault  (Heb.  7,  26), 
seems  the  excess  of  rigor  unless  his  own  love  concedes 
this  right  to  thee.  O  would  that  it  might  please  my 
Beloved  to  exempt  Himself  from  this  punishment!  But 
how  shall  He  refuse  to  undergo  it,  since  He  came  to  seek 
pain,  to  embrace  the  Cross,  to  fulfill  and  accomplish  the 
law?  (Matth.  5,  27).  O  cruel  knife!  Would  thou 
couldst  direct  thy  attacks  upon  my  own  life,  and  not 
upon  the  Lord,  who  gave  it  to  me!    O  my  Son,  sweet 


THE   INCARNATION  435 

Love  and  Light  of  my  soul,  is  it  possible,  that  Thou  so 
soon  shalt  shed  thy  blood,  which  is  more  precious  than 
heaven  and  earth?  My  loving  compassion  inclines  me 
to  hold  Thee  exempt  from  the  common  law,  from  which 
Thou  art  excluded  as  its  Author.  But  the  desire  to  ful- 
fill it  urges  me  to  comply  with  it,  leaving  Thee  a  prey 
to  its  rigor,  unless  Thou,  my  sweet  Life,  art  willing  to 
change  the  decree  and  punish  me  instead.  The  human 
nature,  which  Thou  hast  from  Adam,  my  Lord,  I  have 
given  Thee,  but  without  its  fault  or  g^ilt;  since  in  thy 
Omnipotence  Thou  hast  preserved  it  among  all  the  rest 
from  original  stain.  Since  Thou  art  the  Son  of  the 
eternal  Father  and  the  figure  of  his  substance  (Heb.  1, 
3 ) ,  and  since  thy  generation  is  eternal.  Thou  art  infinitely 
removed  from  sin.  Why  then,  my  Lord,  shouldst  Thou 
subject  thyself  to  the  remedy  provided  for  sin  by  the 
law  ?  Yet  am  I  aware,  my  Son,  that  Thou  art  the  Teacher 
and  Redeemer  of  men  and  that  Thou  must  confirm  thy 
precepts  by  the  example:  Thou  wilt  not  yield  the  least 
point  in  this  matter.  O  eternal  Father,  let  the  knife  now 
lose  its  sharpness  and  the  flesh  its  sensitiveness!  Let 
pain  descend  rather  upon  me,  insignificant  wormlet;  let 
thy  Onlybegotten  Son  fulfill  the  law,  but  let  me  alone  feel 
the  punishment.  O  inhuman  and  cruel  sin,  which  so  soon 
profferest  the  gall  to  Him,  who  cannot  be  guilty  of  thee ! 
O  sons  of  Adam,  abhor  and  fear  sin,  which,  for  a  remedy, 
demands  bloody  punishment  of  the  Lord  and  God  him- 
self." 

517.  Such  grief  the  sorrowful  Mother  mixed  with  the 
joy  of  seeing  the  Onlybegotten  of  the  Father  born  of 
Her  and  resting  in  her  arms,  and  thus  She  passed  the 
days  which  remained  before  the  Circumcision,  being 
faithfully  attended  by  her  most  chaste  spouse  Joseph. 
To  him  alone  She  spoke  of  the  Circumcision ;  yet  only  in 


436  CITY   OF   GOD 

few  words  and  mixed  with  the  tears  of  compassion  of 
them  both.  Before  the  eight  days  after  the  Birth  were 
completed,  the  most  prudent  Queen  placed  Herself  on 
her  knees  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  and  thus  addressed 
Him:  "Highest  King,  Father  of  my  Lord  (Eph.  5,  2), 
behold  here  thy  slave  with  the  true  Sacrifice  and  Victim 
in  her  arms.  My  sighs  and  their  cause  are  not  unknown 
to  thy  wisdom  (Ps.  37,  10).  I  know,  my  Lord,  what 
according  to  the  law  is  thy  pleasure  and  what  should  be 
done  with  thy  Son.  If  by  suffering  much  more  rigorous 
pains  I  can  rescue  my  Son  and  God,  my  heart  is  prepared. 
But  I  am  likewise  ready  to  see  Him  submit  to  circum- 
cision, if  that  is  thy  will." 

518.  The  Most  High  answered  Her,  saying:  "My 
Daughter  and  my  Dove,  do  not  let  thy  heart  be  afflicted 
because  thy  Son  is  to  be  subjected  to  the  knife  and  to 
the  pains  of  circumcision.  I  have  sent  Him  into  the 
world  as  an  example,  that  He  put  an  end  to  the  law  of 
Moses  by  entirely  fulfilling  it  (Matth.  5,  17).  Though 
it  is  true  that  the  habitation  of  his  humanity,  which  thou 
hast  given  Him  as  his  natural  Mother,  is  to  be  violated, 
and  his  flesh  wounded  together  with  thy  soul,  yet  re- 
member: He  is  my  natural  Son  by  an  eternal  genera- 
tion (Ps.  2,  7),  the  image  of  my  substance  (Heb.  1,  3), 
equal  to  Me  in  essence,  majesty  and  glory,  and  by  thus 
subjecting  Himself  to  the  sacramental  law  freeing  from 
sin  (John  10,  30),  without  letting  man  know  that  He 
is  exempt  therefrom,  He  suffers  also  in  his  honor 
(II  Cor.  2,  21).  Thou  knowest  beforehand,  my  Daugh- 
ter, that  thou  must  reserve  thy  Onlybegotten  and  Mine 
for  this  and  other  greater  sufferings.  Resign  thyself, 
then,  to  the  shedding  of  his  blood  and  willingly  yield 
to  Me  the  first  fruits  of  the  eternal  salvation  of  men." 

519.  To  this  decree  of  the  eternal  Father  the  heavenly 


THE   INCARNATION  437 

Lady,  as  the  Co-operatrix  of  our  salvation,  conformed 
Herself  with  such  a  plenitude  of  all  sanctity  as  is  far 
beyond  human  understanding.  With  complete  and  most 
loving  obedience  She  offered  up  her  Onlybegotten,  say- 
ing: "Supreme  Lord  and  God,  I  offer  to  Thee  this 
Victim  and  Host  of  acceptable  sacrifice  with  all  my 
heart,  although  I  am  full  of  compassion  and  sorrow  that 
men  have  offended  thy  immense  Goodness  in  such  a  way 
as  to  force  a  God  to  make  amends.  Eternally  shall  I 
praise  Thee  for  looking  with  such  infinite  love  upon  thy 
creatures  and  for  preferring  to  refuse  pardon  to  thy  own 
Son  rather  than  hinder  the  salvation  of  man  (Eph.  5,  2). 
I,  who  by  thy  condescension  am  his  Mother,  must  before 
all  other  mortals  subject  myself  to  thy  pleasure  and 
therefore  I  offer  to  Thee  the  most  meek  Lamb,  which 
is  to  take  away  the  sins  of  the  world  by  his  innocence 
(John  1,  29).  But  if  it  is  possible  to  mitigate  the  pains 
caused  by  this  knife  at  the  expense  of  suffering  in  me, 
thy  arm  is  mighty  to  effect  this  exchange." 

520.  Most  holy  Mary  issued  from  her  prayer  and  re- 
quested saint  Joseph  to  take  the  necessary  steps  for  the 
Circumcision  of  the  divine  Infant.  With  rarest  prudence 
She  avoided  telling  Him  anything  of  what  She  had  been 
told  in  answer  to  her  prayer.  She  spoke  as  if  She  wished 
to  consult  Him  or  ask  his  opinion  in  regard  to  the  Cir- 
cumcision, saying  that  the  time  appointed  by  law  for  the" 
Circumcision  of  the  Child  had  arrived  and  since  they 
had  not  received  any  orders  to  the  contrary,  it  seemed 
necessary  to  comply  with  it.  They  themselves,  She  said, 
were  more  bound  to  please  the  Most  High,  to  obey  more 
punctually  his  precepts,  and  to  be  more  zealous  in  the 
love  and  care  of  his  most  holy  Son  than  all  the  rest  of 
creatures,  seeking  to  fufill  in  all  things  the  divine  pleasure 
in  return  for  his  incomparable  favors.     To  these  words 


438  CITY   OF   GOD 

saint  Joseph  answered  with  the  greatest  modesty  and 
discretion,  saying,  that,  as  no  command  to  the  contrary 
had  been  given  concerning  the  Child  he  wished  in  all 
things  to  conform  himself  to  the  divine  will  manifested 
in  the  common  law;  that,  although  as  God  the  incarnate 
Word  was  not  subject  to  the  law,  yet  He  was  now  clothed 
with  our  humanity,  and,  as  a  most  perfect  Teacher  and 
Savior,  no  doubt  wished  to  conform  with  other  men 
in  its  fulfillment.  Then  he  asked  his  heavenly  Spouse 
how  the  Circumcision  was  to  take  place. 

521.  The  most  holy  Mary  answered,  that  the  Circum- 
cision should  be  performed  substantially  in  the  same  way 
as  it  was  performed  on  other  children :  but  that  She  need 
not  hand  Him  over  or  consign  Him  to  any  other  person, 
but  that  She  would  herself  hold  Him  in  her  arms.  And 
because  the  delicacy  and  tenderness  of  the  Infant  would 
make  this  ceremony  more  painful  to  Him  than  to  other 
children,  they  should  have  at  hand  the  soothing  medi- 
cine, which  was  ordinarily  applied  at  circumcision. 
Moreover,  She  requested  saint  Joseph  to  procure  a  crystal 
or  glass  vessel  for  preserving  the  sacred  relic  of  the  Cir- 
cumcision of  the  divine  Infant.  In  the  meanwhile  the 
cautious  Mother  prepared  some  linen  cloths  to  catch  the 
sacred  blood,  which  was  now  for  the  first  time  to  be  shed 
for  our  rescue,  so  that  not  one  drop  of  it  might  be  lost 
or  fall  upon  the  ground.  After  these  preparations  the 
heavenly  Lady  asked  saint  Joseph  to  inform  the  priest 
and  request  him  to  come  to  the  cave  where,  without  the 
necessity  of  bringing  the  Child  to  any  other  place,  he 
might,  as  a  fit  and  worthy  minister  of  so  hidden  and  great 
a  sacrament,  with  his  priestly  hands  perform  the  rite  of 
the  Circumcision. 

522.  Then  most  holy  Mary  and  Joseph  took  counsel 
concerning  the  name  to  be  given  to  the  divine  Infant  in 


THE   INCARNATION  439 

the  Circumcision,  and  the  holy  spouse  said :  "My  Lady, 
when  the  holy  angel  of  the  Most  High  informed  me  of 
this  great  sacrament,  he  also  told  me  that  thy  most 
sacred  Son  should  be  called  JESUS."  The  Virgin 
Mother  answered :  "This  same  name  was  revealed  to 
me  when  He  assumed  flesh  in  my  womb;  and  thus  re- 
ceiving this  name  from  the  Most  High  through  the 
mouth  of  his  holy  angels,  his  ministers,  it  is  befitting 
that  we  conform  in  humble  reverence  with  the  hidden  and 
inscrutable  judgments  of  his  infinite  wisdom  in  confer- 
ring it  on  my  Son  and  Lord,  and  that  we  call  Him 
JESUS.  This  name  we  will  propose  to  the  priest,  for 
inscription  in  the  register  of  the  other  circumcised 
children." 

523.  While  the  great  Mistress  of  heaven  and  saint 
Joseph  thus  conversed  with  each  other,  innumerable 
angels  descended  in  human  forms  from  on  high,  clothed 
in  shining  white  garments,  on  which  were  woven  red 
embroideries  of  wonderful  beauty.  They  had  palms  in 
their  hands  and  crowns  upon  their  heads  and  emitted  a 
greater  splendor  than  many  suns.  In  comparison  with 
the  beauty  of  these  holy  princes  all  the  loveliness  seen 
in  this  world  appeared  repulsive.  But  pre-eminent  in 
splendor  were  the  devices  or  escutcheons  on  their  breasts, 
on  each  of  which  the  sweet  name  of  Jesus  was  engraved 
or  embossed.  The  effulgence  which  each  of  these  es- 
cutcheons emitted  exceeded  that  of  all  the  angels  together, 
and  the  variety  of  the  beauty  thus  exhibited  in  this  great 
multitude  was  so  rare  and  exquisite  as  neither  human 
tongue  can  express  nor  human  imagination  ever  compass. 
The  holy  angels  divided  into  two  choirs  in  the  cave, 
keeping  their  gaze  fixed  upon  the  King  and  Lord  in  the 
arms  of  his  virginal  Mother.  The  chiefs  of  these 
heavenly  cohorts  were  the  two  princes,   saint  Michael 


440  CITY   OF   GOD 

and  saint  Gabriel,  shining  in  greater  splendor  than  the 
rest  and  bearing  in  their  hands,  as  a  special  distinction, 
the  most  holy  name  of  JESUS,  written  in  larger  letters 
on  something  like  cards  of  incomparable  beauty  and 
splendor, 

524.  The  two  princes  presented  themselves  apart  from 
the  rest  before  their  Queen  and  said:  "Lady,  this  is 
the  name  of  thy  Son  (Matth.  1,  21),  which  was  written 
in  the  mind  of  God  from  all  eternity  and  which  the 
blessed  Trinity  has  given  to  thy  Onlybegotten  Son  and 
our  Lord  as  the  signal  of  salvation  for  the  whole  human 
race;  establishing  Him  at  the  same  time  on  the  throne 
of  David.  He  shall  reign  upon  it,  chastise  his  enemies 
and  triumph  over  them,  making  them  his  footstool  and 
passing  judgment  upon  them;  He  shall  raise  his  friends 
to  the  glory  of  his  right  hand.  But  all  this  is  to  happen 
at  the  cost  of  suffering  and  blood ;  and  even  now  He  is 
to  shed  it  in  receiving  this  name,  since  it  is  that  of  the 
Savior  and  Redeemer;  it  shall  be  the  beginning  of  his 
suflferings  in  obedience  to  the  will  of  his  eternal  Father. 
We  all  are  come  as  ministering  spirits  of  the  Most  High, 
appointed  and  sent  by  the  holy  Trinity  in  order  to  serve 
the  Onlybegotten  of  the  Father  and  thy  own  in  all  the 
mysteries  and  sacraments  of  the  law  of  grace.  We  are 
to  accompany  Him  and  minister  to  Him  until  He  shall 
ascend  triumphantly  to  the  celestial  Jerusalem  and  open 
the  portals  of  heaven;  afterwards  we  shall  enjoy  an 
especial  accidental  glory  beyond  that  of  the  other  blessed, 
to  whom  no  such  commission  has  been  given."  All  this 
was  witnessed  by  the  most  fortunate  spouse  Joseph  con- 
jointly with  the  Queen  of  heaven ;  but  his  understanding 
of  these  happenings  was  not  so  deep  as  hers,  for  the 
Mother  of  wisdom  understood  and  comprehended  the 
highest  mysteries  of  the  Redemption.     Although  saint 


THE   INCARNATION  441 

Joseph  understood  many  more  mysteries  than  other 
mortals,  yet  he  did  not  penetrate  them  in  the  same  way 
as  his  heavenly  Spouse.  Both  of  them,  however,  were 
full  of  heavenly  joy  and  admiration,  and  extolled  the 
Lord  in  new  canticles  of  glory.  All  that  they  experi- 
enced in  these  various  and  wonderful  events  surpasses 
human  language,  and  certainly  my  own  powers,  and  I 
cannot  find  adequate  words  for  expressing  my  con- 
ceptions. 

INSTRUCTION     WHICH     MARY,     OUR     MOST     HOLY     LADY, 

GAVE   ME. 

525.  My  daughter,  I  wish  to  renovate  in  thee  the 
enlightened  teaching  which  thou  hast  received  in  order 
that  thou  mayst  treat  with  thy  Spouse  in  the  highest 
reverence;  for  humility  and  reverential  fear  should  in- 
crease in  the  soul  in  the  same  measure  in  which  especial 
and  extraordinary  favors  are  conferred  upon  it.  On 
account  of  not  being  mindful  of  this  truth,  many  souls 
either  make  themselves  unworthy  or  incapable  of  great 
blessings,  or,  if  they  receive  them,  grow  into  a  dangerous 
rudeness  and  torpidity,  which  offends  the  Lord  very 
much.  The  loving  sweetness  with  which  the  Lord  often 
treats  them  engenders  in  them  a  certain  presumption  and 
disrespectful  forwardness,  causing  them  to  deal  with  his 
infinite  Majesty  in  an  irreverent  manner,  and  with  a  vain 
desire  of  searching  and  inquiring  into  those  hidden  ways 
of  God  which  are  far  above  their  comprehension  and 
capacity.  They  fall  into  this  presumption  because  they 
judge  of  the  familiar  intercourse  with  God  according  to 
the  imperfect  insight  of  mortals,  presuming  to  regulate 
it  after  the  friendly  intercourse  of  human  creatures  with 
one  another. 


442  CITY   OF   GOD 

526.  But  in  this  way  of  judging  the  soul  is  much 
deceived,  measuring  the  reverence  and  respect  due  to  the 
infinite  Majesty  by  the  famiHarity  and  equahty  caused 
by  the  human  love  of  mortals  to  one  another.  The 
rational  creatures  are  by  nature  equal  to  each  other, 
although  the  conditions  and  circumstances  of  each  may 
be  different;  and  the  familiarity  of  human  love  and 
friendship  may  disregard  the  accidental  differences  in 
yielding  to  the  human  feelings.  But  the  love  of  God 
must  ever  be  mindful  of  the  immeasurable  excellence  of 
the  infinite  Being,  since  its  object  is  as  well  the  infinite 
goodness  as  the  infinite  majesty  of  God :  for  just  because 
the  goodness  and  majesty  in  God  are  inseparable,  there- 
fore also  reverence  must  not  be  separated  from  love  of 
God  in  the  creature.  The  light  of  divine  faith  must 
always  go  before,  manifesting  to  the  one  that  loves  the 
greatness  of  the  Object  loved,  awakening  and  fomenting 
reverential  fear,  restraining  the  exuberance  of  blind  affec- 
tions, and  bridling  them  by  the  memory  of  the  excellence 
and  superiority  of  the  Beloved. 

527.  If  the  creature  is  noble-hearted,  practiced  in  and 
accustomed  to  holy  and  reverential  fear,  it  is  not  in  such 
danger  of  forgetting  the  respect  due  to  the  Most  High, 
no  matter  how  great  the  favors  it  receives;  for  it  does 
not  give  itself  up  unguardedly  to  the  spiritual  delights 
and  does  not  lose,  on  account  of  them,  the  discreet  con- 
sciousness of  the  supreme  Majesty;  but  it  respects  and 
reverences  Him  in  proportion  to  the  greatness  of  his 
divine  love  and  enlightenment.  With  such  souls  the 
Lord  converses  as  one  friend  with  another  (Exod.  33, 
11).  Let  it  therefore,  my  daughter,  be  to  thee  an  invio- 
lable rule  that  the  closer  the  embraces,  and  the  greater 
the  delights  with  which  the  Most  High  visits  thee,  so 
much  the  more  unremitting  shall  be  the  consciousness 


THE   INCARNATION  443 

of  his  immutable  and  infinite  Majesty,  extolling  and 
ioving-  Him  at  one  and  the  same  time.  In  this  wise 
consciousness  thou  wilt  learn  to  know  and  estimate  more 
becomingly  the  greatness  of  his  favors.  Thou  wilt  avoid 
the  dangerous  presumption  of  those  who  lightly  inquire 
into  the  secrets  of  the  Lord  at  each  trivial  or  even  im- 
portant event,  imagining  that  his  most  wise  Providence 
should  pay  attention  to  or  regard  the  vain  curiosity 
excited  by  some  passion  or  disorder,  or  some  human  and 
reprehensible  affection  far  removed  from  holy  zeal  and 
love. 

528.  Take  notice  of  the  cautiousness  with  which  I 
proceeded  in  my  duties;  since,  as  regards  finding  grace 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  a  vast  difference  always  remains 
between  the  efforts  of  other  creatures  and  my  own. 
Nevertheless,  though  I  held  in  my  arms  God  himself  as 
his  true  Mother,  I  never  presumed  to  ask  Him  to  explain 
to  me  anything  whatever  by  extraordinary  revelation, 
neither  for  the  sake  of  knowing  it  or  for  the  sake  of 
ridding  myself  of  suffering,  nor  for  any  other  merely 
human  reason ;  for  all  this  would  have  been  human  weak- 
ness, vain  and  vicious  curiosity,  which  could  find  no  room 
in  me.  Whenever  necessity  urged  it  upon  me  for  the 
glory  of  his  Majesty,  or  some  circumstances  made  it 
unavoidable,  I  asked  permission  to  propose  my  wishes. 
Although  I  always  found  Him  most  propitious,  ready  to 
answer  me  with  kindness  and  mercifully  urging  me  to 
declare  my  wishes,  I  nevertheless  humiliated  myself  to 
the  dust  and  merely  asked  Him  to  inform  me  of  what  was 
most  pleasing  and  acceptable  in  his  eyes. 

529.  Write  this  doctrine  in  thy  heart,  my  daughter, 
and  guard  thyself  against  the  disorderly  and  curious 
desire  of  searching  into  or  knowing  anything  above  the 
powers  of  the  human  intellect.     For  besides  the  fact  that 


444  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  Lord  makes  no  response  to  such  fooHsh  inquiry, 
because  it  displeases  Him  very  much,  remember  that  the 
demon  is  the  real  author  of  this  fault  in  those  who  are 
in  pursuit  of  a  spiritual  life.  As  he  is  ordinarily  the 
author  of  such  blameworthy  inquiries,  astutely  promot- 
ing them  in  the  soul,  he  also  satisfies  its  curiosity  by 
answering  them  himself  at  the  same  time  assuming  the 
appearance  of  an  angel  of  light  and  thus  deceiving  the 
imperfect  and  the  unwary  (II  Cor.  12,  14).  When  such 
inquisitiveness  arises  from  one's  own  natural  inclination, 
one  must  be  equally  careful  not  to  follow  or  attend  to  it. 
For  in  what  concerns  such  high  matters  as  familiar  inter- 
course with  the  Lord,  one's  own  reason  and  judgment  is 
not  a  safe  guide,  it  being  hampered  by  evil  inclinations 
and  passions.  Our  depraved  and  infected  nature  has 
been  thrown  into  great  disorder  by  sin,  and  is  subject 
to  much  confusion  and  excess,  making  it  unfit  for  guid- 
ance and  direction  in  the  high  things  of  God.  Equally 
wrong  is  it  for  the  soul  to  rely  on  divine  revelations  in 
order  to  free  itself  from  suffering  and  labor;  for  the 
spouses  of  Christ  and  his  true  servants  must  not  seek 
his  favors  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  the  cross,  but  in 
order  to  seek  and  bear  it  with  the  Lord  (Matth.  16,  24), 
patiently  enduring  the  sufferings  which  his  divine  Provi- 
dence chooses  to  send.  This  course  of  action  I  desire 
thee  to  maintain  in  humble  fear,  and  rather  to  go  to 
extremes  in  this  regard  so  as  to  avoid  so  much  the  more 
securely  the  opposite  fault.  From  now  on  I  wish  that 
thou  perfect  all  thy  motives  and  thy  undertakings  by 
divine  love  (Phil.  1,  9),  as  being  the  great  end  of  all 
thy  undertakings.  In  this  thou  needst  not  observe  degree 
or  measure ;  on  the  contrary  I  wish  thee  to  create  in  thee 
an  excess  of  love,  accompanied  by  so  much  of  holy  fear 
as  will  suffice  to  keep  thee  from  transgressing  the  law 


THE   INCARNATION  445 

of  the  Most  High,  and  to  perform  all  thy  exterior  and 
interior  acts  in  rectitude.  Be  careful  and  diligent  therein, 
even  if  it  cost  thee  much  exertion  and  pain;  for  I  have 
endured  the  same  in  the  Circumcision  of  my  most  holy 
Son,  and  for  no  other  reason  than  because  in  his  holy 
law  this  was  manifested  and  intimated  to  me  as  the  will 
of  the  Lord,  whom  we  must  in  all  things  fully  obey. 


-80 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  DIVINE  INEANT  IS  CIRCUMCISED  AND  RECEIVES  THE 
NAME  JESUS. 

530.  Like  other  towns  of  Israel,  the  city  of  Bethlehem 
had  its  own  synagogue,  where  the  people  came  together 
to  pray  (wherefore  it  was  also  called  the  house  of 
prayer),  and  to  hear  the  law  of  Moses.  This  was  read 
and  explained  by  a  priest  from  the  pulpit  in  a  loud  voice, 
in  order  that  the  people  might  understand  its  precepts. 
But  in  these  synagogues  no  sacrifices  were  offered;  this 
was  reserved  for  the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  except  when 
the  Lord  commanded  otherwise.  It  was  not  left  to  the 
choice  of  the  people,  in  order  to  avoid  the  danger  of 
idolatry,  as  is  mentioned  in  Deuteronomy  (12,  6).  But 
the  priest,  who  was  the  teacher  or  minister  of  the  law  in 
those  places,  was  usually  also  charged  with  administering 
the  circumcision ;  not  that  this  was  a  binding  law,  for  not 
only  priests  but  any  one  could  perform  the  circumcision ; 
but  because  the  pious  mothers  firmly  believed  that  the 
infants  would  run  less  danger  in  being  circumcised  by 
the  hands  of  a  priest.  Our  great  Queen,  not  on  account 
of  any  apprehension  of  danger,  but  because  of  the  dignity 
of  the  Child,  also  wished  a  priest  to  administer  this  rite 
to  Him;  and  therefore  She  sent  her  most  fortunate 
spouse  to  Bethlehem  to  call  the  priest  of  that  town. 

531.  The  priest  came  to  the  gates  or  cave  of  the 
Nativity,  where  the  incarnate  Word,  resting  in  the  arms 
of  his  Virgin  Mother,  awaited  him.  With  the  priest 
came  also  two  other  officials,  who  were  to  render  such 

446 


THE   INCARNATION  447 

assistance  as  was  customary  at  the  performance  of  the 
rite.  The  rudeness  of  the  dwelling  at  first  astonished 
and  somewhat  disconcerted  the  priest.  But  the  most 
prudent  Queen  spoke  to  him  and  welcomed  him  with 
such  modesty  and  grace  that  his  constraint  soon  changed 
into  devotion  and  into  admiration  at  the  composure  and 
noblest  majesty  of  the  Mother;  and  without  knowing  the 
cause  he  was  moved  to  reverence  and  esteem  for  such  an 
unusual  personage.  When  the  priest  looked  upon  the  face 
of  Mary  and  of  the  Child  in  her  arms  he  was  filled  with 
great  devotion  and  tenderness,  wondering  at  the  contrast 
exhibited  amid  such  poverty  and  in  a  place  so  lowly  and 
despised.  And  when  he  proceeded  to  touch  the  divine 
flesh  of  the  Infant,  he  was  renovated  by  a  secret  influence 
which  sanctified  and  perfected  him;  it  gave  him  a  new 
existence  in  grace,  and  raised  him  up  to  a  state  of  holi- 
ness very  pleasing  to  the  most  high  Lord. 

532.  In  order  to  show  as  much  exterior  reverence  for 
the  sacred  rite  of  circumcision  as  was  possible  in  that 
place,  saint  Joseph  lighted  two  wax  candles.  The  priest 
requested  the  Virgin  Mother  to  consign  the  Child  to  the 
arms  of  the  two  assistants  and  withdraw  for  a  little 
while  in  order  not  to  be  obliged  to  witness  the  sacrifice. 
This  command  caused  some  hesitation  in  the  great  Lady ; 
for  her  humility  and  spirit  of  obedience  inclined  Her  to 
obey  the  priest,  while  on  the  other  hand  She  was  withheld 
by  the  love  and  reverence  for  her  Onlybegotten.  In 
order  not  to  fail  against  either  of  these  virtues.  She 
humbly  requested  to  be  allowed  to  remain,  saying  that 
She  desired  to  be  present  at  the  performance  of  this  rite, 
since  She  held  it  in  great  esteem,  and  that  She  would 
have  courage  to  hold  her  Son  in  her  arms,  as  She  wished 
not  to  leave  Him  alone  on  such  an  occasion.  All  that 
She  would  ask  would  be  that  the  circumcision  be  per- 


448  •     CITY   OF   GOD 

formed  with  as  much  tenderness  as  possible  on  account 
of  the  deHcacy  of  the  Child.  The  priest  promised  to 
fulfill  her  request,  and  permitted  the  Child  to  be  held  in 
the  arms  of  his  Mother  for  fulfilling  the  mystery.  Thus 
She  became  the  sacred  altar  on  which  the  truths  typified 
in  the  ancient  sacrifice  became  a  reality  (Heb.  9,  6)  ;  and 
She  herself  ofiFered  up  this  new  morning^s  sacrifice  on 
her  own  arms  in  order  that  it  might  be  acceptable  to  the 
eternal  Father  in  all  particulars. 

533.  The  divine  Mother  then  unwound  the  swaddling- 
clothes  in  which  her  most  holy  Son  was  wrapped  and 
drew  from  her  bosom  a  towel  or  linen  cloth,  which  She 
had  previously  placed  there  for  the  purpose  of  warming 
it;  for  the  weather  was  very  cold  on  that  day.  While 
holding  the  Child  in  her  hands  She  so  placed  this  towel 
that  the  relics  and  the  blood  of  the  Circumcision  would 
fall  upon  it.  The  priest  thereupon  proceeded  to  his  duty 
and  circumcised  the  Child,  the  true  God  and  man.  At 
the  same  time  the  Son  of  God,  with  immeasurable  love, 
offered  up  to  the  eternal  Father  three  sacrifices  of  so 
great  value  that  each  one  would  have  been  sufficient  for 
the  Redemption  of  a  thousand  worlds.  The  first  was 
that  He,  being  innocent  and  the  Son  of  the  true  God, 
assumed  the  condition  of  a  sinner  (Phil.  2,  7)  by  sub- 
jecting Himself  to  a  rite  instituted  as  a  remedy  for 
original  sin,  and  to  a  law  not  binding  on  Him  (II  Cor.  5, 
21).  The  second  was  his  willingness  to  suffer  the  pains 
of  circumcision,  which  He  felt  as  a  true  and  perfect  man; 
The  third  was  the  most  ardent  love  with  which  He  began 
to  shed  his  blood  for  the  human  race,  giving  thanks  to 
the  eternal  Father  for  having  given  Him  a  human  nature 
capable  of  suffering  for  his  exaltation  and  glory. 

534.  This  prayerful  sacrifice  of  JESUS  our  Savior  the 
Father  accepted,  and,  according  to  our  way  of  speaking, 


THE   INCARNATION  449 

He  began  to  declare  Himself  satisfied  and  paid  for  the 
indebtedness  of  humanity.  The  incarnate  Word  offered 
these  first  fruits  of  his  blood  as  pledges  that  He  would 
give  it  all  in  order  to  consummate  the  Redemption  and 
extinguish  the  debt  of  the  sons  of  Adam.  All  these  in- 
terior acts  and  movements  of  the  Only  begotten  his  most 
holy  Mother  perceived,  and  in  her  heavenly  wisdom  She 
penetrated  the  mystery  of  this  sacrament,  acting  as  his 
Mother  and  in  concert  with  Her  Son  and  Lord  in  all 
that  He  was  doing  and  suffering.  True  to  his  human 
nature,  the  divine  Infant  shed  tears  as  other  children. 
Although  the  pains  caused  by  the  wounding  were  most 
severe,  as  well  on  account  of  the  delicacy  of  his  body 
as  on  account  of  the  coarseness  of  the  knife,  which  was 
made  of  flint,  yet  his  tears  were  caused  not  so  much  by 
the  sensible  pain  as  by  the  supernatural  sorrow  caused 
by  his  knowledge  of  the  hard-heartedness  of  mortals. 
For  this  was  more  rude  and  unyielding  than  the  flint, 
resisting  his  sweetest  love  and  the  divine  fire  He  had 
come  to  enkindle  in  the  world  and  in  the  hearts  of  the 
faithful  (Luke  12,  49).  Also  the  tender  and  affectionate 
Mother  wept,  like  the  guileless  sheep,  which  raises  its 
voice  in  unison  with  the  innocent  lamb.  In  reciprocal 
love  and  compassion  the  Child  clung  to  his  Mother, 
while  She  sweetly  caressed  Him  at  her  virginal  breast 
and  caught  the  sacred  relics  and  the  falling  blood  in  the 
towel.  These  She  entrusted  to  saint  Joseph,  in  order 
to  tend  to  the  divine  Infant  and  wrap  Him  once  more 
in  the  swaddling-clothes.  The  priest  was  somewhat  sur- 
prised at  the  tears  of  the  Mother;  yet,  not  understanding 
the  mystery,  he  conjectured  that  the  beauty  of  the  Child 
might  well  cause  such  deep  and  loving  sorrow  in  Her 
who  had  given  Him  birth. 

535.  In  all  these  proceedings  the  Queen  of  heaven  was 


450  CITY   OF   GOD 

so  prudent,  circumspect  and  magnanimous,  that  She 
caused  admiration  in  the  angelic  choirs  and  highest  de- 
light to  her  Creator.  She  gave  forth  the  effulgence  of 
the  divine  wisdom,  which  filled  Her,  performing  each  of 
her  actions  as  perfectly  as  if  She  had  that  alone  to  per- 
form. She  was  unyielding  in  her  desire  of  holding  the 
Child  in  her  arms  during  the  Circumcision,  most  careful 
in  preserving  the  relics,  most  compassionate  in  her  afflic- 
tion and  tears,  feeling  Herself  his  pains,  most  loving  in 
her  caresses,  most  diligent  in  procuring  his  comfort, 
fervent  in  imitating  Him  in  his  works,  always  careful  to 
treat  Him  with  the  highest  reverence,  without  ever  fail- 
ing or  intermitting  her  acts  of  virtue,  and  without  ever 
letting  the  perfection  of  one  disturb  that  of  the  other. 
Wonderful  spectacle  exhibited  by  a  Maiden  of  fifteen 
years,  and  affording  even  the  angels  a  sort  of  new  lesson 
and  cause  of  admiration!  In  the  meanwhile  the  priest 
asked  the  parents  what  name  they  wished  to  give  to  the 
Child  in  Circumcision;  the  great  Lady,  always  attentive 
to  honor  her  spouse,  asked  saint  Joseph  to  mention  the 
name.  Saint  Joseph  turned  toward  Her  in  like  reverence 
and  gave  Her  to  understand  that  He  thought  it  proper 
this  sweet  name  should  first  flow  from  her  mouth. 
Therefore,  by  divine  interference,  both  Mary  and  Joseph 
said  at  the  same  time:  "JESUS  is  his  name."  The 
priest  answered :  "The  parents  are  unanimously  agreed, 
and  great  is  the  name  which  they  give  to  the  Child" ;  and 
thereupon  he  inscribed  it  in  the  tablet  or  register  of 
names  of  the  rest  of  the  children.  While  writing  it  the 
priest  felt  great  interior  movements,  so  that  he  shed 
copious  tears;  and  wondering  at  what  he  felt  yet  not 
being  able  to  account  for,  he  said :  "I  am  convinced  that 
this  Child  is  to  be  a  great  Prophet  of  the  Lord.  Have 
great  care  in  raising  Him,  and  tell  me  in  what  I  can 


THE   INCARNATION  451 

relieve  your  needs."  Most  holy  Mary  and  Joseph  an- 
swered the  priest  with  humble  gratitude  and  dismissed 
him  after  offering  him  the  g^ft  of  some  candles  and  other 
articles. 

536.  Being  again  left  alone  with  the  Child,  most  holy 
Mary  and  Joseph  celebrated  anew  the  mystery  of  the 
Circumcision,  commenting  on  the  holy  name  of  JESUS 
amid  sweet  canticles  and  tears  of  joy,  the  fuller  knowl- 
edge of  which  (as  also  of  other  mysteries  which  I  have 
mentioned)  is  reserved  as  an  additional  accidental  glory 
to  the  saints  in  heaven.  The  most  prudent  Mother  ap- 
plied to  the  wound  caused  by  the  knife  such  medicines 
as  were  wont  to  be  used  on  such  occasions  for  other 
children,  and  during  the  time  while  the  pain  and  the 
healing  lasted  She  would  not  for  a  moment  part  with 
Him,  holding  Him  in  her  arms  day  and  night.  The 
tender  love  of  the  heavenly  Mother  is  beyond  all  compre- 
hension or  understanding  of  man;  for  her  natural  love 
was  greater  than  any  other  mother  was  capable  of,  and 
her  supernatural  love  exceeded  that  of  all  the  angels  and 
saints  together.  Her  reverence  and  worship  cannot  be 
compared  with  that  of  any  other  created  being.  These 
were  the  delights  of  the  incarnate  Word  (Prov.  8,  31), 
which  He  desired  and  longed  for  among  the  children  of 
men ;  and  this  was  the  recompense,  which  his  loving 
heart  drew  from  the  exceeding  sanctity  of  the  Virgin 
Mother  for  the  sorrows  occasioned  Him  by  their  be- 
havior. Although  He  pleased  Himself  in  Her  alone 
above  all  the  mortals  and  in  Her  found  full  satisfaction 
of  his  love,  yet  the  humble  Queen  sought  to  alleviate 
his  bodily  pains  by  all  the  means  within  her  power. 
Therefore  She  besought  the  holy  angels  to  assist  Her 
and  produce  sweet  harmony  for  their  incarnate  God,  and 


452  CITY   OF   GOD 

her  suffering"  Child.  The  ministers  of  the  Most  High 
obeyed  their  Queen  and  Lady  and  in  audible  voices  they 
rehearsed  the  canticles  which  She  herself  had  composed 
with  her  spouse  in  praise  of  the  new  and  sweet  name 
of  JESUS. 

537.  With  this  music,  so  sweet  that  in  comparison  to  it 
all  human  music  seemed  but  irksome  discord,  the  heavenly 
Lady  entertained  her  most  holy  Son;  and  sweeter  yet 
was  the  harmony  of  her  heroic  virtues,  which  in  her  soul 
formed  "choirs  as  of  serried  armies,"  as  the  Lord  and 
Spouse  himself  says  in  the  Canticles.  Hard  are  human 
hearts,  and  more  than  slow  and  dull  in  recognizing  and 
thankfully  acknowledging  such  venerable  sacraments,  in- 
stituted for  their  eternal  salvation  by  the  immense  love 
of  the  Creator  and  Redeemer.  O  sweetest  Good  of  my 
soul  and  of  my  life!  What  wicked  return  do  we  make 
for  the  exquisite  artifices  of  thy  eternal  love!  O  meas- 
ureless charity,  which  is  not  extinguished  by  the  over- 
whelming waters  of  our  gross  and  faithless  ingratitude! 
Truly  the  essential  Bounty  and  Holiness  could  not  go  to 
a  greater  length  of  condescension  for  love  of  us,  nor 
exercise  more  exquisite  love  than  to  assume  the  form  of 
a  sinner  (Phil.  2,  7),  drawing  upon  his  own  innocence 
the  punishment  of  the  sin,  which  otherwise  could  never 
approach  Him.  If  men  despise  such  an  example  and 
forget  such  a  benefit,  how  can  they  be  said  to  retain  the 
use  of  their  reason?  How  can  they  presume  upon  and 
glory  in  their  wisdom,  prudence  or  judgment?  It  would 
be  prudence,  ungrateful  man,  if  thou  wouldst  afflict  thy- 
self and  weep  over  thy  notorious  dullness  and  darkness 
of  mind  in  not  being  moved  by  such  great  works  of  thy 
God;  since  not  even  the  divine  love  can  melt  the  iciness 
of  thy  heart. 


THE   INCARNATION  453 

INSTRUCTION     WHICH     OUR     MOST     HOLY     QUEEN     MARY 

GAVE   ME. 

538.  My  daughter,  I  wish  thee  to  consider  attentively 
the  blessed  favor  conferred  upon  thee  by  being  informed 
of  the  solicitous  care  and  attention  which  I  lavished  upon 
my  most  holy  and  sweetest  Son  in  the  mysteries  just 
now  described.  The  Most  High  does  not  give  thee  this 
special  light  in  order  only  to  be  regaled  by  the  knowledge 
of  these  mysteries ;  but  in  order  to  imitate  me  in  all  these 
things  as  a  faithful  handmaid  and  in  order  to  distinguish 
thyself  in  rendering  thanks  for  his  works  in  the  same 
measure  as  thou  art  distinguished  in  knowing  them  more 
fully.  Ponder,  then,  dearest,  upon  the  small  return  given 
for  the  love  of  my  Son  and  Lord  by  mortals,  and  how 
forgetful  of  thanks  even  his  faithful  continue  to  be. 
Assume  it  as  thy  task,  as  far  as  thy  weak  powers  allow, 
to  render  satisfaction  for  this  grievous  offense:  loving 
Him,  thanking  Him  and  serving  Him  with  all  thy  powers, 
for  all  the  other  men  who  fail  to  do  so.  Therefore  thou 
must  be  an  angel  in  promptitude,  most  fervent  and 
punctual  on  all  occasions;  thou  must  die  to  all  earthly 
things,  eliminating  and  crushing  all  human  inclinations 
and  rising  upon  the  wings  of  love  to  the  heights  of  love 
designed  for  thee  by  the  Lord. 

539.  Thou  art  not  ignorant  of  the  sweet  efficacy  con- 
tained in  the  memory  of  the  works  performed  by  my 
most  holy  Son :  and  although  thou  canst  so  copiously 
avail  thyself  of  the  light  given  thee  to  be  thankful:  yet, 
in  order  that  thou  mayest  fear  so  much  the  more  the 
danger  of  forgetfulness,  I  particularly  inform  thee  that 
the  saints  in  heaven,  comprehending  by  the  divine  light 
these  mysteries,  are  astonished  at  themselves  for  not 
having  paid  more  attention  to  them  during  their  Hfe. 


454  CITY   OF   GOD 

And  if  they  were  capable  of  pain,  they  would  be  deeply 
grieved  for  their  tardiness  and  carelessness  in  not  having 
set  proper  value  upon  the  works  for  the  Redemption,  and 
for  failing  in  the  imitation  of  Christ.  All  the  angels 
and  saints,  by  an  insight  hidden  to  mortals,  wonder  at 
the  cruelty  of  human  hearts  against  themselves  and 
against  Christ  their  Redeemer.  Men  have  compassion 
neither  for  the  sufferings  of  the  Lord,  nor  for  the  suffer- 
ings they  themselves  stand  in  danger  of  incurring.  When 
the  foreknown,  in  unending  bitterness  shall  recognize 
their  dreadful  forgetfulness  and  their  indifference  to  the 
works  of  Christ  their  Savior,  their  confusion  and  despair 
will  be  an  intolerable  punishment,  and  it  alone  will  be 
a  chastisement  beyond  all  imagination ;  for  they  will  then 
see  the  copiousness  of  the  Redemption,  which  they  have 
despised  (  Ps.  44,  11).  Hear  me,  my  daughter,  and  bend 
thy  ears  to  these  counsels  and  doctrines  of  eternal  life. 
Cast  out  from  thy  faculties  every  image  and  affection 
toward  human  creatures  and  turn  all  the  powers  of  thy 
heart  and  soul  toward  the  mysteries  and  blessings  of  the 
Redemption.  Occupy  thyself  wholly  with  them,  ponder 
and  weigh  them,  give  thanks  for  them  as  if  thou  alone 
wert  in  existence,  as  if  they  had  been  wrought  solely  for 
thee,  and  singly  for  each  human  being  in  particular 
(Gal.  2,  20).  Thus  thou  wilt  find  life  and  the  way  of 
life,  proceeding  thus  thou  canst  not  err;  but  thou  shalt 
find  therein  the  light  of  thy  eyes  and  true  peace. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  most  holy  MARY  REMAINS  IN  THE  PORTAL  O^  THE 
NATIVITY   UNTIL  THE  COMING  OF   THE   MAGI   KINGS. 

540.  By  the  infused  knowledge  of  holy  Scriptures  and 
her  high  supernatural  enlightenment,  our  great  Queen 
knew  that  the  Magi  Kings  of  the  Orient  would  come  to 
acknowledge  and  adore  her  most  holy  Son  as  their  true 
God.  She  was  aware  of  it  also  more  particularly  be- 
cause an  angel  had  been  sent  to  them  to  announce  the 
birth  of  the  incarnate  Word,  as  mentioned  in  chapter 
second  (No.  492),  and  the  Virgin  Mother  was  not 
ignorant  of  this  message.  Saint  Joseph  had  no  fore- 
knowledge of  these  mysteries ;  because  they  had  not  been 
revealed  to  him,  nor  had  his  most  prudent  Spouse  in- 
formed him  of  this  secret.  In  all  things  She  was  most 
wise  and  discreet,  awaiting  the  sweet  and  timely  dispo- 
sitions of  the  divine  Providence  (Wis.  8,  1).  After  the 
Circumcision,  the  holy  spouse  suggested  to  the  Mistress 
of  heaven  that  they  leave  their  poor  and  forsaken  habita- 
tion on  account  of  the  insufficient  shelter  which  it 
afforded  the  divine  Infant  and  to  Her ;  for  it  would  now 
be  possible  to  find  a  lodging  in  Bethlehem,  where  they 
could  remain  until  after  presenting  the  Child  in  the 
temple  of  Jerusalem.  This  proposal  of  the  most  faithful 
spouse  arose  from  his  solicitude  and  anxiety  lest  the  Child 
and  the  Mother  should  want  even  that  comfort  and 
convenience  which  it  was  possible  for  their  poverty  to 
procure ;  but  he  left  it  all  to  the  disposition  of  his  heavenly 
Spouse. 

455 


456  CITY   OF   GOD 

541.  Without  revealing  the  mystery,  the  humble  Queen 
answered:  "My  spouse  and  master,  I  resign  myself  to 
thy  will,  and  wherever  thou  wishest  to  go  I  will  follow 
with  great  pleasure:  arrange  it  as  thou  pleasest."  The 
heavenly  Lady  had  an  affection  for  the  cave  on  account 
of  its  humbleness  and  poverty,  and  because  the  incarnate 
Word  had  consecrated  it  by  the  mysteries  of  his  Nativity 
and  Circumcision,  and  was  to  hallow  it  by  the  mystery 
of  the  Magi's  visit,  although  She  did  not  know  at  what 
time  that  would  happen.  This  was  a  most  pious  affec- 
tion, full  of  devotion  and  reverence ;  yet  She  preferred  to 
give  an  example  of  the  highest  perfection  in  all  things. 
She  considered  it  more  important  to  resign  and  submit 
to  saint  Joseph,  letting  her  spouse  decide  what  was  to  be 
done.  While  they  were  thus  conferring  with  each  other, 
the  Lord  himself  informed  them  through  the  two  celes- 
tial princes  Michael  and  Gabriel,  who  were  attending  in 
corporeal  forms  to  the  service  of  their  Lord  and  God 
and  of  their  great  Queen.  They  spoke  to  Mary  and 
Joseph,  saying:  "Divine  Providence  has  ordained  that 
three  kings  of  the  earth,  coming  from  the  Orient  in 
search  of  the  King  of  heaven,  should  adore  the  divine 
Word  in  this  very  place  (Ps.  71,  6).  They  are  already 
ten  days  on  the  way ;  for  at  the  hour  of  the  birth  of  Jesus 
they  were  informed  of  it,  and  they  immediately  set  out 
on  their  journey.  Therefore  they  will  shortly  arrive, 
fulfilling  all  that  the  Prophets  had  from  very  ancient 
times  foreknown  and  foretold." 

542.  By  this  announcement  saint  Joseph  was  instructed 
on  his  part  concerning  the  will  of  the  Lord,  and  Mary 
his  most  holy  Spouse  said  to  him:  "My  master,  this 
place,  chosen  by  the  Most  High  for  such  magnificent 
mysteries,  although  it  is  poor  and  ill-furnished  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world,  in  the  sight  of  eternal  Wisdom  is 


THE    INCARNATION  457 

rich,  precious,  the  most  estimable  and  preferable  on  this 
earth,  since  the  Lord  of  heaven  is  satisfied  with  it  and 
has  consecrated  it  by  his  presence.  He  who  is  the  true 
land  of  promise  can  favor  us  with  his  vision  in  this 
place.  And  if  it  is  his  pleasure,  He  will  afford  us  some 
protection  and  shelter  against  the  inclemencies  of  the 
weather  during  the  few  days  in  which  we  are  to  stay 
here."  Saint  Joseph  was  much  consoled  and  encour- 
aged by  these  words  of  the  most  prudent  Queen.  He 
answered  Her,  that,  since  the  divine  Child  was  to  fulfill 
the  law,  which  required  Him  to  be  presented  in  the 
temple,  just  as  He  had  subjected  Himself  to  the  law  of 
Circumcision,  they  could  remain  in  this  sacred  place  until 
that  day  should  arrive,  without  first  undertaking  the  dis- 
tant and  wearisome  journey  to  Nazareth  during  the  in- 
clement weather.  If,  perhaps,  the  severity  of  the  season 
would  compel  them  to  seek  shelter  in  the  city,  they  could 
easily  do  so;  since  from  Bethlehem  to  Jerusalem  there 
was  only  a  distance  of  two  hours. 

543.  In  all  these  matters  the  most  holy  Mary  con- 
formed Herself  to  the  will  of  her  watchful  spouse;  for 
She  knew  his  solicitude  for  the  sacred  tabernacle  which 
was  confided  to  his  care,  and  which  was  more  holy  and 
venerable  than  the  Holy  of  Holies  in  the  temple.  Await- 
ing the  time  when  her  Onlybegotten  should  be  presented 
in  the  temple.  She  was  unremitting  in  her  care  of  Him, 
lest  She  forget  anything  necessary  to  protect  Him 
against  the  cold  and  the  roughness  of  the  weather.  She 
also  prepared  the  cave  for  the  arrival  of  the  Kings, 
cleaning  it  once  more  and  arranging  it  anew  as  far  as 
the  rudeness  and  destitution  of  the  place  allowed.  But 
her  greatest  attention  and  care  was  always  reserved  for 
the  Child  itself,  bearing  It  in  her  arms  continually  unless 
absolute  necessity  demanded  otherwise.     Besides  all  this 


458  CITY   OF   GOD 

She  made  use  of  her  power  as  Queen  of  all  creation 
whenever  the  rigors  of  winter  rose  to  excess;  for  She 
commanded  the  frost  and  the  winds,  the  snow  and  the 
ice  not  to  incommode  their  Creator,  and  to  spend  their 
elemental  fury  and  asperity  upon  her  person  alone.  The 
heavenly  Queen  gave  her  commands  as  follows : .  "Re- 
strain your  wrath  before  your  Creator,  Author,  Lord 
and  Preserver,  who  has  called  you  into  existence  and 
given  you  strength  and  activity.  Be  mindful,  creatures 
of  my  Beloved,  that  you  are  furnished  with  rigor  on 
account  of  sin  for  the  chastisement  of  the  disobedience 
of  the  first  Adam  and  his  progeny.  But  with  the  second 
Adam,  who  comes  to  repair  this  fall  and  cannot  have 
any  part  therein,  you  must  be  courteous,  reverencing  and 
not  offending  Him,  to  whom  you  owe  worship  and  sub- 
jection. And  therefore  I  command  you  in  his  name  to 
cause  no  inconvenience  or  displeasure  to  Him." 

544.  It  is  worthy  of  our  admiration  and  imitation  to 
notice  the  ready  obedience  of  the  irrational  creatures  to 
the  divine  will,  intimated  to  them  by  the  Mother  of  God : 
for  upon  her  command,  the  snow  and  rain  approached 
no  nearer  than  ten  yards,  the  winds  stopped  short  and 
the  surrounding  air  retained  a  mild  temperature.  To 
this  miracle  was  added  another  one :  at  the  same  time  in 
which  the  divine  Infant  in  her  arms  received  this  homage 
of  the  elements  and  was  protected  from  their  asperity, 
the  Virgin  Mother  felt  and  suffered  the  cold  and  in- 
clemency of  the  weather  as  if  it  were  exerting  all  its 
natural  influences  in  that  place.  In  this  they  obeyed  the 
Loving  Mother  and  sovereign  Mistress  of  creatures  to 
the  letter,  as  She  wished  not  to  exempt  Herself  from 
their  asperity  while  She  prevented  her  tender  Child  and 
her  God  from  suffering  under  it.  Saint  Joseph  enjoyed 
the  same  privilege  as  the  sweet  Infant;  he  noticed  the 


THE   INCARNATION  459 

favorable  change  of  the  temperature,  without  knowing 
that  it  was  due  to  the  commands  of  his  heavenly  Spouse 
and  an  effect  of  her  power;  for  She  had  not  manifested 
to  him  this  privilege,  because  She  had  no  command  to 
that  effect  from  the  Most  High. 

545.  As  to  the  order  and  manner  in  which  the  great 
Queen  nourished  her  Child  JESUS,  it  is  to  be  remarked 
that  She  offered  Him  her  virginal  milk  three  times  a  day, 
and  always  with  such  reverence  that  She  asked  his  per- 
mission beforehand  and  his  pardon  for  the  indignity, 
considering  Herself  and  acknowledging  Herself  un- 
worthy of  such  a  privilege.  Many  times,  while  holding 
Him  in  her  arms.  She  was  on  her  knees  adoring  Him; 
and  if  at  any  time  it  was  necessary  to  seat  Herself  She 
always  asked  his  permission.  With  the' same  tokens  of 
reverence  She  handed  Him  to  saint  Joseph  and  received 
Him  from  his  arms,  as  I  have  said  above.  Many  times 
She  kissed  his  feet,  and  when  She  wished  to  kiss  his 
face  She  interiorly  asked  his  benevolent  consent.  The 
sweetest  Child  returned  these  caresses  of  his  Mother  not 
only  by  the  expression  of  pleasure  in  his  countenance, 
which  was  at  the  same  time  full  of  majesty,  but  also 
by  other  actions  usual  in  children.  In  Him,  however, 
they  were  accompanied  by  a  serene  deliberation.  The 
most  ordinary  token  of  his  love  was  to  recline  sweetly 
upon  the  breast  of  the  most  pure  Mother,  or  upon  her 
shoulder,  encircling  her  neck  with  his  divine  arms. 
These  caresses  the  Empress  Mary  met  with  so  much 
attention  and  discretion  that  She  neither  petulantly  sought 
them  as  other  mothers,  nor  too  timidly  withdrew  from 
them.  In  all  these  things  She  behaved  most  perfectly 
and  prudently,  without  defect  or  excess  of  any  kind :  the 
more  openly  and  affectionately  her  most  holy  Son  mani- 
fested his  love  toward  Her,  so  much  the  more  deeply  did 


460  CITY   OF   GOD 

She  humiliate  Herself,  and  so  much  the  greater  was  her 
reverence;  in  the  same  manner  She  gaged  also  the 
tokens  of  her  affection  and  lent  new  glory  to  her  mag- 
nanimity. 

546.  There  was  an  interchange  of  caresses  of  anothei 
kind  between  the  Infant  and  his  Mother:  for  besides 
understanding  by  divine  enlightenment  all  the  interior 
acts  of  the  most  holy  soul  of  her  Onlybegotten,  as  I  have 
already  stated  (481,  534),  it  often  happened  that,  hold- 
ing Him  in  her  arms.  She  was  privileged  to  see  through 
his  humanity  as  through  a  crystal  casement,  thus  per- 
ceiving the  hypostatic  union  of  the  Son  of  God  with  his 
human  nature,  and  witnessing  the  activity  of  his  soul  in 
interceding  with  the  eternal  Father  for  the  human  race. 
These  operations  and  intercessions  the  heavenly  Lady 
faithfully  imitated,  being  entirely  absorbed  and  trans- 
formed in  her  divine  Son.  His  Majesty  on  his  part 
looked  upon  Her  with  new  accidental  joy  and  delight, 
regaling  Himself  in  the  purity  of  this  Creature,  rejoicing 
that  He  had  created  Her,  and  that  his  becoming  man  had 
resulted  in  such  a  living  image  of  his  Divinity  and 
humanity.  In  regard  to  this  mystery  the  words  of  the 
soldiers  of  Holo femes  when  they  beheld  the  beauty  of 
Judith  in  the  camp  of  Bethulia,  occurred  to  me :  "Who 
can  despise  the  people  of  the  Hebrews,  who  have  such 
beautiful  women?  Shall  we  not  think  it  worth  our 
while  for  their  sakes  to  fight  against  them?"  This  say- 
ing seemed  to  be  mysteriously  realized  in  the  incarnate 
Word,  since  He,  with  greater  cause,  could  address  them 
to  his  eternal  Father  and  to  all  the  rest  of  the  creatures: 
"Who  shall  fail  to  see,  that  my  coming  from  heaven  and 
assuming  flesh  is  fully  justified,  since  by  coming  upon  the 
earth  and  dethroning  the  demon,  the  world  and  the  flesh, 
and  by  conquering  and  vanquishing  them,  such  a  Woman 


THE   INCARNATION  461 

is  called  into  existence  as  is  my  Mother  among  the  chil- 
dren of  Adam?"  O  sweetest  love,  essence  of  my  virtue, 
life  of  my  soul,  most  loving  Jesus,  behold  and  see  that 
most  holy  Mary  by  Herself  possesses  such  immense 
beauty  as  exceeds  that  of  all  the  human  race!  She  is 
the  only  and  chosen  One  (Cant.  6,  8),  so  perfectly  pleas- 
ing to  Thee,  my  Lord  and  my  God,  that  She  not  only 
equals  but  far  surpasses  all  the  rest  of  thy  people;  and 
that  She  alone  compensates  God  for  all  the  wickedness 
of  the  race  of  Adam. 

547.  So  powerful  were  the  effects  of  this  delightful 
intercourse  with  her  Son  and  true  God,  that  She  was 
more  and  more  spiritualized  and  made  Godlike.  Many 
times  in  these  flights  of  her  soul  the  force  of  her  burning 
love  would  have  torn  asunder  the  ligaments  of  her  mem- 
bers and  destroyed  the  union  of  her  soul  and  body,  if 
She  had  not  been  miraculously  comforted  and  preserved. 
She  spoke  to  her  most  holy  Son  secret  words  so  exalted 
and  full  of  weight  that  they  cannot  come  within  the 
range  of  our  expression.  All  that  I  can  reproduce  can 
never  be  anything  more  than  a  mere  shadow  of  that 
which  was  manifested  to  me.  She  said  to  Him:  "O 
my  Love,  sweet  Life  of  my  soul,  who  art  Thou,  and 
who  am  I?  What  dost  Thou  wish  to  make  of  me  by 
thus  becoming  man  of  man,  lowering  thy  greatness  and 
magnificence  in  favor  of  such  useless  dust?  O  what 
shall  thy  slave  do  to  pay  the  debt  of  love  which  she  owes 
to  Thee?  What  return  shall  I  make  for  the  great  things 
which  thou  hast  done  to  me  (Ps.  115,  12)  ?  My  being, 
my  life,  my  faculties,  my  feelings,  my  desires  and  long- 
ings, all  is  for  Thee.  Comfort  thy  servant  and  thy 
Mother,  in  order  that  She  may  not  fail  in  thy  service 
at  the  sight  of  her  own  insignificance,  and  in  order  that 
she  may  not  die  for  love  of  Thee.     O  how  limited  is 

2-31 


462  CITY   OF    GOD 

the  power  of  man!  How  circumscribed  his  capacity! 
How  insufficient  is  human  affection,  as  it  cannot  suffi- 
ciently render  a  just  return  for  thy  love!  But  the  vic- 
tory of  mercy  and  magnificence  must  always  be  thine, 
and  to  Thee  belong  the  triumphal  songs  of  love;  while 
we  must  on  the  contrary  always  consider  ourselves  over- 
come and  vanquished  by  thy  power.  Let  us  be  humili- 
ated and  let  us  grovel  in  the  dust,  while  thy  greatness  is 
magnified  and  exalted  in  all  the  eternities."  The  heav- 
enly Lady,  partaking  of  the  science  of  her  most  holy  Son, 
sometimes  beheld  the  souls  which  in  the  course  of  the 
new  law  of  grace  were  to  distinguish  themselves  in  divine 
love,  the  works  which  they  were  to  perform,  the  martyr- 
dom which  they  were  to  suffer  in  imitation  of  the  Lord ; 
in  this  knowledge  She  became  so  inflamed  with  love  that 
her  longings  of  love  caused  in  Her  a  greater  martyrdom 
than  those  actually  suffered  by  the  saints.  To  her 
happened  what  the  Spouse  in  the  Canticles  mentions 
(Cant.  8,  6),  that  the  emulations  of  love  are  strong  as 
death  and  hard  as  hell.  To  these  agonies  of  the  loving 
Mother,  caused  by  the  mortal  wounds  of  divine  affection, 
her  most  holy  Son  answered  in  the  words  there  used: 
"Place  Me  as  a  sign  or  seal  in  thy  heart  and  upon  thy 
arm,"  causing  in  Her  at  the  same  time  the  full  under- 
standing of  these  words  as  well  as  their  actual  fulfill- 
ment. By  this  divine  suffering  most  holy  Mary  was  a 
Martyr  above  all  other  martyrs.  Among  such  beds  of 
lilies  the  meekest  Lamb,  Jesus,  wandered,  while  the  day 
of  grace  began  to  break  and  the  shades  of  the  ancient 
Law  receded. 

548.  The  divine  Child  ate  nothing  during  the  time  in 
which  He  was  nourished  at  the  virginal  breast  of  his 
most  holy  Mother,  for  this  milk  was  his  only  sustenance. 
This  was  most  sweet  and  substantial,  since  it  originated 


THE   INCARNATION  463 

in  a  body  so  pure,  perfect  and  refined,  and  one  built  up 
in  exquisite  harmony  without  any  disorder  or  inequality. 
No  other  body  was  equal  to  it  in  health  fulness;  and  the 
sacred  milk,  even  if  it  would  have  been  preserved  a  long- 
time, would  have  remained  free  from  corruption;  by  an 
especial  privilege  it  never  changed  or  soured,  though  the 
milk  of  other  women  immediately  degenerates  and  be- 
comes corrupt,  as  experience  teaches. 

549.  The  most  fortunate  Joseph  not  only  witnessed 
the  favors  and  caresses  which  passed  between  the  Child 
and  its  Mother;  but  he  himself  shared  in  others,  which 
Jesus  deigned  to  confer  upon  him.  Many  times  his 
heavenly  Spouse  placed  him  in  his  arms.  This  hap- 
pened whenever  She  had  to  do  some  work  during  which 
She  could  not  hold  Him  herself;  as  for  instance,  when 
She  prepared  the  meals,  or  arranged  the  clothes  of  the 
Infant  or  cleaned  the  house.  On  these  occasions  saint 
Joseph  held  Him  in  his  arms  and  he  always  felt  divine 
effects  in  his  soul.  The  Child  Jesus  showed  exterior 
signs  of  affection  by  his  pleased  looks,  by  reclining  upon 
his  breast,  and  by  other  tokens  of  affection  usual  with 
children  in  regard  to  their  fathers,  but  in  Him  these 
tokens  were  always  tempered  with  kingly  majesty.  Yet 
all  this  was  not  so  frequent  in  his  dealings  with  saint 
Joseph,  nor  with  such  endearment,  as  with  his  true  Virgin 
Mother.  Whenever  She  left  Jesus  in  his  care.  She 
received  from  saint  Joseph  the  relic  of  the  Circumcision, 
which  the  latter  ordinarily  bore  about  with  him  for 
his  consolation.  Thus  both  the  two  Spouses  were  con- 
tinually enriched :  She  by  holding  her  most  holy  Son, 
he  by  his  sacred  blood  and  deified  flesh.  They  pre- 
served it  in  a  crystal  vase,  which  saint  Joseph  had  pur- 
chased with  the  money  sent  to  them  by  saint  Elisa- 
beth.    In  this  they  had  enclosed  the  particle  of  flesh  and 


464  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  sacred  blood  shed  at  the  Circumcision,  which  had 
been  caught  up  in  pieces  of  hnen.  The  opening  of  the 
vase  was  encased  in  silver,  which  the  mighty  Queen,  in 
order  to  preserve  the  sacred  relics  more  securely,  had 
sealed  by  her  mere  command.  Thus  the  silver  opening 
was  more  firmly  sealed  than  if  it  had  been  soldered  by 
the  artisan,  who  had  made  the  vessel.  In  this  vase  the 
prudent  Mother  treasured  the  relics  during  her  whole 
life  and  afterwards  She  entrusted  it  to  the  Apostles, 
leaving  it  as  an  inheritance  to  the  holy  Church.  In  this 
immense  sea  of  mysteries  I  find  myself  so  annihilated 
and  dumbfounded  by  my  ignorance  as  a  woman,  and  so 
narrowed  in  my  powers  of  expression,  that  I  must  leave 
much  of  it  to  be  fathomed  by  the  faith  and  piety  of  the 
Christians. 

INSTRUCTION     WHICH     THE    MOST     H0I.Y    QUEEN     MARY 

GAVE   ME. 

550.  My  daughter,  in  the  foregoing  chapter,  thou  hast 
been  instructed  not  to  seek  information  from  the  Lord 
by  supernatural  means,  neither  in  order  to  relieve  any 
suffering,  nor  in  order  to  satisfy  a  natural  hankering  of 
curiosity.  Now  I  exhort  thee  likewise  not  to  yield,  for 
any  of  these  reasons,  to  the  desire  of  performing  any 
exterior  action  according  to  the  promptings  of  nature. 
For  in  all  the  activity  of  thy  exterior  faculties  and  senses 
thou  must  seek  to  moderate  and  subject  thy  inclinations, 
not  yielding  to  them  in  their  demands,  although  they  may 
have  the  color  of  virtue  or  piety.  I  was  in  no  danger 
of  going  to  excess  in  these  affections  on  account  of  my 
sinlessness;  nor  was  there  a  want  of  piety  in  my  desire 
of  remaining  in  the  cave,  where  my  most  holy  Son  had 
been  born  and  had  been  circumcised.     Yet  I  did  not  wish 


THE   INCARNATION  465 

to  express  my  desire,  even  when  asked  about  it  by  my 
spouse;  for  I  preferred  obedience  to  this  pious  inclina- 
tion, and  I  knew  that  it  is  more  secure  for  the  souls  and 
more  according  to  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  to  seek  his 
will  in  the  counsel  and  decision  coming  from  other, 
rather  than  in  their  own  inclination.  In  me  this  course 
of  action  was  advisable  only  on  account  of  the  greater 
perfection  contained  therein,  but  in  thee  and  in  other 
souls,  who  are  subject  to  error  in  their  judgment,  this 
rule  must  be  observed  most  rigorously,  so  as  to  prevent 
and  avoid  mistakes  diligently  and  discreetly.  For  in 
their  ignorance  and  pusillanimity  men  are  easily  carried 
away  by  their  feelings  and  inclinations  toward  insignifi- 
cant things,  and  very  often  they  occupy  themselves  with 
trifles  as  if  they  were  important  matters,  and  with  vani- 
ties, as  if  they  were  realities.  All  such  activity  weakens 
the  soul  and  deprives  it  of  great  spiritual  blessings,  of 
grace,  enlightenment  and  merit. 

551.  This  doctrine  shalt  thou  write  in  thy  heart  to- 
gether with  all  the  others  which  I  am  to  give  thee.  Seek 
to  use  it  as  a  reminder  of  all  that  I  did,  so  that  as  thou 
hast  come  to  know  it  thou  mayest  also  understand  and 
execute  it  in  thy  life.  Take  notice  of  the  reverence,  love 
and  solicitude,  the  holy  and  discreet  fear,  with  which  I 
conversed  with  my  most  holy  Son.  I  always  lived  in 
this  kind  of  watchfulness;  and  even  after  I  had  conceived 
Him  in  my  womb,  I  never  lost  it  out  of  sight,  nor  did 
the  great  love  which  He  showed  me  diminish  it  in  me. 
In  this  ardent  desire  to  please  Him  my  heart  found  no 
rest  until  it  was  entirely  united  and  absorbed  in  the  en- 
joyment of  this  my  highest  Good  and  ultimate  End. 
Excepting  at  certain  times,  during  which  I  rested  in 
his  love  as  in  my  sole  joy,  I  invariably  carried  about  with 
me  this  continual  solicitude,  like  one  who  restlessly  pur- 


466  CITY   OF   GOD 

sues  his  way,  and  who  permits  himself  not  to  be  delayed 
by  anything  that  is  useless  or  hinders  the  attainment  of 
his  desired  object.  So  far  was  my  heart  from  attaching" 
itself  to  any  earthly  thing,  or  from  following  the  incli- 
nation of  the  senses,  that  I  lived  as  if  I  had  not  been 
composed  of  earthly  substance.  If  other  creatures  are 
not  free  from  passions,  or  do  not  overcome  them  as  much 
as  possible,  let  them  not  blame  nature,  but  their  own  will : 
on  the  contrary,  they  justly  incur  the  reproaches  of  weak 
nature;  because,  instead  of  governing  and  directing 
nature  by  the  sovereign  power  of  the  will,  they  make  no 
use  of  that  power.  They  allow  the  natural  inclinations  to 
involve  them  in  disorders,  abetting  it  by  the  free  will  and 
using  their  understanding  to  find  still  more  dangerous 
occupations  and  occasions  of  ruin.  On  account  of  these 
pitfalls  presenting  themselves  in  mortal  life,  I  warn  thee, 
my  dearest,  not  to  hanker  after  or  seek  any  of  the  visible 
things,  although  they  may  appear  to  thee  necessary  and 
most  appropriate  for  the  circumstances.  Use  all  things, 
thy  cell,  thy  garments,  thy  sustenance,  and  whatever  else 
of  this  life,  only  in  obedience  and  with  the  full  consent 
of  thy  superiors ;  because  the  Lord  requires  this  of  thee ; 
and  it  is  also  my  pleasure  to  see  thee  apply  all  things 
for  the  service  of  the  Omnipotent.  According  to  these 
great  rules  which  I  have  g^ven  thee  thou  must  regulate 
all  thy  activity. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  THREE  KINGS  OF  THE  ORIENT  COME  TO  ADORE  THE 
WORD  MADE  MAN   IN   BETHLEHEM. 

552.  The  three  Magi  Kings,  who  came  to  find  the 
divine  Infant  after  his  birth,  were  natives  of  Persia, 
Arabia  and  Sabba  (Ps.  71,  10),  countries  to  the  east 
of  Palestine.  Their  coming  was  prophesied  especially 
by  David,  and  before  him,  by  Balaam,  who,  having  been 
hired  by  Balaac,  king  of  the  Moabites,  to  curse  the  Israel- 
ites, blessed  them  instead  (Numb.  24,  17).  In  this 
blessing  Balaam  said,  that  he  would  see  the  King  Christ, 
although  not  at  once,  and  that  he  would  behold  Him, 
although  not  present;  for  he  did  not  see  Him  with  his 
own  eyes,  but  through  the  Magi,  his  descendants  many 
centuries  after.  He  said,  also,  that  a  star  would  arise 
unto  Jacob,  which  was  Christ,  who  arose  to  reign  for- 
ever in  the  house  of  Jacob  (Luke  1,  32). 

553.  These  three  Kings  were  well  versed  in  the  natural 
sciences,  and  well  read  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  people  of 
God ;  and  on  account  of  their  learning  they  were  called 
Magi.  By  their  knowledge  of  Scripture,  and  by  con- 
ferring with  some  of  the  Jews,  they  were  imbued  with 
a  belief  in  the  coming  of  the  Messias  expected  by  that 
people.  They  were,  moreover,  upright  men,  truthful 
and  very  just  in  the  government  of  their  countries. 
Since  their  dominions  were  not  so  extended  as  those  of 
our  times,  they  governed  them  easily,  and  personally 
administered  justice  as  wise  and  prudent  sovereigns. 
This  is  the  true  office  of  kings,  and  therefore  the  Holy 

467 


468    .  CITY   OF   GOD 

Ghost  says,  that  He  holds  their  hearts  in  his  hands  in 
order  to  direct  them  like  irrigated  waters  to  the  fulfill- 
ment of  his  holy  will  (Prov,  21,  1).  They  were  also  of 
noble  and  magnanimous  disposition,  free  from  avarice 
and  covetousness,  which  so  oppresses,,  degrades  and  be- 
littles the  spirits  of  princes.  Because  these  Magi  gov- 
erned adjoining  countries  and  lived  not  far  from  each 
other,  they  were  mutual  friends  and  shared  with  each 
other  the  virtues  and  the  knowledge  which  they  had  ac- 
quired, consulting  each  other  in  the  more  important 
events  of  their  reigns.  In  all  things  they  communicated 
with  each  other  as  most  faithful  friends. 

554.  I  have  already  mentioned  in  the  eleventh  chapter 
(No.  492)  that  in  the  same  night  in  which  the  incarnate 
Word  was  born,  they  were  informed  of  his  Birth  by  the 
ministry  of  the  holy  angels.  It  happened  in  the  follow- 
ing manner:  one  of  the  guardian  angels  of  our  Queen, 
of  a  higher  order  than  that  of  the  guardian  angels  of  the 
three  kings,  was  sent  from  the  cave  of  the  Nativity.  By 
his  superior  faculties  he  enlightened  the  three  guardian 
angels  of  the  Kings  informing  them  at  the  same  time  of 
the  will  and  command  of  the  Lord,  that  each  of  them 
should  manifest  to  his  charge  the  mystery  of  the  Incar- 
nation and  of  the  birth  of  Christ  our  Redeemer,  Imme- 
diately and  in  the  same  hour  each  of  the  three  angels 
spoke  in  dreams  to  the  wise  man  under  his  care.  This 
is  the  usual  course  of  angelic  revelations  when  the  Lord 
communicates  with  souls  through  the  angels.  This  en- 
lightenment of  the  Kings  concerning  the  mysteries  of  the 
Incarnation  was  very  copious  and  clear.  They  were  in- 
formed that  the  King  of  the  Jews  was  born  as  true  God 
and  man ;  that  He  was  the  Messias  and  Savior  who  was 
expected;  that  it  was  the  One  who  was  promised  in  the 
Scriptures  and  prophecies  (Gen.  3,  10) ;  and  that  they 


THE   INCARNATION  469 

themselves,  the  three  Kings,  were  singled  out  by  the  Lord 
to  seek  the  star,  which  Balaam  had  foretold.  Each  one 
of  the  three  Kings  also  was  made  aware  that  the  same 
revelation  was  being  made  to  the  other  two  in  the  same 
way ;  and  that  it  was  not  a  favor  or  miracle  which  should 
remain  unused,  but  that  they  were  expected  to  co-operate 
with  the  divine  light  and  execute  what  it  pointed  out. 
They  were  inspired  and  inflamed  with  a  great  love  and 
with  a  desire  to  know  the  God  made  man,  to  adore  Him 
as  their  Creator  and  Redeemer,  and  serve  Him  with  most 
perfect  devotion.  In  all  this  they  were  greatly  assisted 
by  their  distinguished  moral  virtues,  which  they  had  ac- 
quired; for  on  account  of  them  they  were  excellently 
disposed  for  the  operation  of  the  divine  enlightenment. 

555.  After  receiving  these  heavenly  revelations  in 
their  sleep,  the  three  Kings  awoke  at  the  same  hour  of 
the  night,  and  prostrating  themselves  on  the  ground 
and  humihating  themselves  to  the  dust,  they  adored  in 
spirit  the  immutable  being  of  God.  They  exalted  his 
infinite  mercy  and  goodness  for  having  sent  the  divine 
Word  to  assume  flesh  of  a  Virgin  (Is.  7,  14)  in  order 
to  redeem  the  world  and  give  eternal  salvation  to  men. 
Then  all  three  of  them,  governed  by  an  impulse  of  the 
same  Spirit,  resolved  to  depart  without  delay  for  Judea 
in  search  of  the  divine  Child  in  order  to  adore  Him. 
The  three  Kings  prepared  gifts  of  gold,  incense  and 
myrrh  in  equal  quantities,  being  guided  by  the  same  mys- 
terious impulse;  and  without  having  conferred  with  each 
other  concerning  their  undertaking,  the  three  of  them 
arrived  at  the  same  resolve  and  the  same  plan  of  exe- 
cuting it.  In  order  to  set  out  immediately,  they  procured 
on  the  same  day  the  necessary  camels  and  provisions 
together  with  a  number  of  servants  for  the  journey. 
Without  heeding  the  commotion  caused  among  their  peo- 


470  CITY   OF   GOD 

pie,  or  considering  that  they  were  to  travel  in  foreign 
regions,  or  caring  for  any  outward  show  of  authority, 
without  ascertaining  particulars  of  the  place  whither  they 
were  to  go,  or  gathering  information  for  identifying  the 
Child,  they  at  once  resolved  with  fervent  zeal  and  ardent 
love  to  depart  in  order  to  seek  the  newborn  King. 

556.  At  the  same  time  the  holy  angel,  who  had  brought 
the  news  from  Bethlehem  to  the  kings,  formed  of  the 
material  air  a  most  resplendent  star,  although  not  so  large 
as  those  of  the  firmament ;  for  it  was  not  to  ascend  higher 
than  was  necessary  for  the  purpose  of  its  formation.  It 
took  its  course  through  the  atmospheric  regions  in  order 
to  guide  and  direct  the  holy  Kings  to  the  cave,  where  the 
Child  awaited  them.  Its  splendor  was  of  a  different 
kind  from  that  of  the  sun  and  the  other  stars;  with  its 
most  beautiful  light  it  illumined  the  night  like  a  brilliant 
torch,  and  it  mingled  its  own  most  active  brilliancy  with 
that  of  the  sun  by  day.  On  coming  out  of  their  palaces 
each  one  of  the  kings  saw  this  new  star  (Matth.  2,  2) 
although  each  from  a  different  standpoint,  because  it  was 
only  one  star  and  it  was  placed  in  such  distance  and 
height  that  it  could  be  seen  by  each  one  at  the  same  time. 
As  the  three  of  them  followed  the  guidance  of  this 
miraculous  star,  they  soon  met.  Thereupon  it  imme- 
diately approached  them  much  more  closely,  descending 
through  many  shifts  of  the  aerial  space  and  rejoicing 
them  by  shedding  its  refulgence  over  them  at  closer 
range.  They  began  to  confer  among  themselves  about 
the  revelation  they  had  received  and  about  their  plans, 
finding  that  they  were  identical.  They  were  more  and 
more  inflamed  with  devotion  and  with  the  pious  desire 
of  adoring  the  newborn  God,  and  broke  out  in  praise  and 
admiration  at  the  inscrutable  works  and  mysteries  of  the 
Almighty. 


THE    INCARNATION  471 

557.  The  Magi  pursued  their  journey  under  the  guid- 
ance of  the  star  without  losing  sight  of  it  until  they 
arrived  at  Jerusalem.  As  well  on  this  account  as  also 
because  this  city  was  the  capital  and  metropolis  of  the 
Jews,  they  suspected  that  this  was  the  birthplace  of  their 
legitimate  and  true  King.  They  entered  into  the  city 
and  openly  inquired  after  Him,  saying  (Matth.  2,  8)  : 
Where  is  the  king  of  the  Jews,  who  is  born?  For  we 
have  seen  his  star  in  the  East,  announcing  to  us  his 
Birth  and  we  have  come  to  see  Him  and  adore  Him. 
Their  inquiry  came  to  the  ears  of  Herod,  who  at  that 
time  unjustly  reigned  in  Judea  and  lived  in  Jerusalem. 
The  wicked  king,  panic-stricken  at  the  thought  that  a 
more  legitimate  claimant  to  the  throne  should  have  been 
born,  felt  much  disturbed  and  outraged  by  this  report. 
With  him  the  whole  city  was  aroused,  some  of  the  peo- 
ple, out  of  flattery  to  the  king,  others  on  account  of  the 
fear  of  disturbance.  Immediately,  as  saint  Matthew 
relates,  Herod  called  together  a  meeting  of  the  principal 
priests  and  scribes  in  order  to  ask  them  where  Christ  was 
to  be  born  according  to  the  prophecies  and  holy  Scrip- 
tures. They  answered  that,  according  to  the  words  of 
one  of  the  Prophets,  Micheas  (Mich.  5,  2),  He  was  to 
be  born  in  Bethlehem;  since  it  was  written  by  him  that 
thence  the  Ruler  of  Israel  was  to  arise. 

558.  Thus  informed  of  the  l^irthplace  of  the  new  King 
of  Israel,  and  insidiously  plotting  from  that  very  moment 
to  destroy  Him,  Herod  dismissed  the  priests.  Then  he 
secretly  called  the  Magi  in  order  to  learn  of  them  at  what 
time  they  had  seen  the  star  as  harbinger  of  his  Birth 
(Matth.  2,  7).  They  ingenuously  informed  him,  and 
he  sent  them  away  to  Bethle^iem,  saying  to  them  in  covert 
malice :  "Go  and  inquire  after  the  Infant,  and  when  you 
have  found  Him,  announce  it  to  me,  in  order  that  I,  too. 


472  CITY    OF   GOD 

may  go  to  recognize  and  adore  Him."  The  Magi  de- 
parted, leaving  the  hypocritical  king  ill  at  ease  and  in 
great  consternation  at  such  indisputable  signs  of  the  com- 
ing of  the  legitimate  King  of  Israel  into  the  world.  Al- 
though he  could  have  eased  his  mind  in  regard  to  his 
sovereignty  by  the  thought  that  a  recently  born  infant 
could  not  be  enthroned  so  very  soon,  yet  human  pros- 
perity is  so  unstable  and  deceitful  that  it  can  be  over- 
thrown even  by  an  infant,  or  by  the  mere  threat  of  far- 
off  danger.  Thus  can  even  an  imagined  uncertainty 
destroy  all  the  enjoyment  and  happiness  so  deceitfully 
offered  to  its  possessors. 

559.  On  leaving  Jerusalem  the  Magi  again  found  the 
star,  which  at  their  entrance  they  had  lost  from  view. 
By  its  light  they  were  conducted  to  Bethlehem  and  to  the 
cave  of  the  Nativity.  Diminishing  in  size  it  hovered 
over  the  head  of  the  infant  Jesus  and  bathed  Him  in  its 
light;  whereupon  the  matter  of  which  it  had  been  com- 
posed dissolved  and  disappeared.  Our  great  Queen  had 
already  been  prepared  by  the  Lord  for  the  coming  of  the 
Kings,  and  when  She  understood  that  they  were  ap- 
proaching the  cave.  She  requested  saint  Joseph  not  to 
leave  it,  but  to  stay  at  her  side.  This  he  did,  although 
the  sacred  text  does  not  mention  it.  Like  many  other 
things  passed  over  in  the  Gospels,  this  was  not  neces- 
sary for  establishing  the  truth  of  the  mystery.  Never- 
theless it  is  certain  that  *saint  Joseph  was  present  when 
the  Kings  adored  the  infant  Jesus.  The  precaution  of 
sending  him  away  was  not  necessary;  for  the  Magi  had 
already  been  instructed  that  the  Mother  of  the  Newborn 
was  a  Virgin,  and  that  He  was  the  true  God  and  not  a 
son  of  saint  Joseph.  Nor  would  God  have  permitted 
them  to  be  led  to  the  cave  ignorant  of  such  an  important 
circumstance  as  his  origin,  allowing  them  to  adore  the 


THE   INCARNATION  473 

Child  as  the  son  of  Joseph  and  of  a  Mother  not  a  Virgin. 
They  were  fully  instructed  as  to  all  these  things,  and 
they  were  deeply  impressed  by  the  sacramental  character 
of  all  these  exalted  and  complicated  mysteries. 

560.  The  heavenly  Mother  awaited  the  pious  and  de- 
vout kings,  standing  with  the  Child  in  her  arms.  Amid 
the  humble  and  poor  surroundings  of  the  cave,  in  incom- 
parable modesty  and  beauty,  she  exhibited  at  the  same 
time  a  majesty  more  than  human,  the  light  of  heaven 
shining  in  her  countenance.  Still  more  visible  was  this 
light  in  the  Child,  shedding  through  the  cavern  effulgent 
splendor,  which  made  it  like  a  heaven.  The  three  kings 
of  the  East  entered  and  at  the  first  sight  of  the  Son  and 
Mother  they  were  for  a  considerable  space  of  time  over- 
whelmed with  wonder.  They  prostrated  themselves  upon 
the  earth,  and  in  this  position  they  worshiped  and  adored 
the  Infant,  acknowledging  Him  as  the  true  God  and 
man,  and  as  the  Savior  of  the  human  race.  By  the 
divine  power,  which  the  sight  of  Him  and  his  presence 
exerted  in  their  souls,  they  were  filled  with  new  enlight- 
enment. They  perceived  the  multitude  of  angelic  spirits, 
who  as  servants  and  ministers  of  the  King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords  attended  upon  Him  in  reverential  fear 
(Heb.  1,  4).  Arising,  they  congratulated  their  and  our 
Queen  as  Mother  of  the  Son  of  the  eternal  Father;  and 
they  approached  to  reverence  Her  on  their  knees.  They 
sought  her  hand  in  order  to  kiss  it,  as  they  were  accus- 
tomed to  do  to  their  queens  in  their  countries.  But  the 
most  prudent  Lady  withdrew  her  hand,  and  offered  in- 
stead that  of  the  Redeemer  of  the  world,  saying:  "My 
spirit  rejoices  in  the  Lord  and  my  soul  blesses  and  extols 
Him;  because  among  all  the  nations  He  has  called  and 
selected  you  to  look  upon  and  behold  that  which  many 
kings  and  prophets  have  in  vain  desired  to  see,  namely, 


474  CITY   OF   GOD 

Him  who  is  the  eternal  Word  incarnate  (Luke  10,  24). 
Let  us  extol  and  praise  his  name  on  account  of  the  sacra- 
ments and  mysteries  wrought  among  his  people;  let  us 
kiss  the  earth  which  He  sanctifies  by  his  real  presence." 

561,  At  these  words  of  most  holy  Mary  the  three 
kings  humiliated  themselves  anew,  adoring  the  infant 
Jesus ;  they  acknowledged  the  great  blessings  of  living  in 
the  time  when  the  Sun  of  justice  was  arising  in  order  to 
illumine  the  darkness  (Malachy  4,  2).  Thereupon  they 
spoke  to  saint  Joseph,  congratulating  him  and  extolling 
his  good  fortune  in  being  chosen  as  the  spouse  of  the 
Mother  of  God;  and  they  expressed  wonder  and  com- 
passion at  the  great  poverty,  beneath  which  were  hidden 
the  greatest  mysteries  of  heaven  and  earth.  In  this  in- 
tercourse they  consumed  three  hours,  and  then  the  kings 
asked  permission  of  most  holy  Mary  to  go  to  the  city  in 
order  to  seek  a  lodging,  as  they  could  find  no  room  for 
themselves  in  the  cave.  Some  people  had  accompanied 
them;  but  the  Magi  alone  participated  in  the  light  and 
the  grace  of  this  visit.  The  others  took  notice  merely  of 
what  passed  exteriorly,  and  witnessed  only  the  destitute 
and  neglected  condition  of  the  Mother  and  her  husband. 
Though  wondering  at  the  strange  event,  they  perceived 
nothing  of  its  mystery.  The  Magi  took  leave  and  de- 
parted, while  most  holy  Mary  and  Joseph,  being  again 
alone  with  their  Child,  glorified  his  Majesty  with  new 
songs  of  praise,  because  his  name  was  beginning  to  be 
known  and  adored  among  the  Gentiles  (Ps.  85,  9). 
What  else  the  three  wise  men  did  will  be  related  in  the 
following  chapter. 

INSTRUCTION   WHICH  THE  QUEEN  OE  HEAVEN  GAVE  ME- 

562.  My  daughter,  the  events  recorded  in  this  chapter 
contain  much  for  the  instruction  of  kings  and  princes 


THE   INCARNATION  475 

and  for  the  other  faithful;  as  for  instance,  the  prompt 
obedience  and  humihty  of  the  Magi,  which  men  should 
imitate,  and  the  obdurate  wickedness  of  Herod,  which 
they  are  to  fear  and  abhor;  for  each  reaped  the  fruit  of 
his  actions.  The  kings  reaped  the  fruit  of  justice  and 
other  virtues,  which  they  practiced;  while  Herod  reaped 
those  of  ambition  and  pride  by  which  he  had  usurped  the 
government,  and  of  other  vices  into  which  he  cast  him- 
self without  restriction  or  moderation.  But  let  this  re- 
mark, together  with  the  other  teachings  of  the  holy 
church,  suffice  for  those  that  live  in  the  world.  To  thy- 
self must  thou  apply  the  doctrine  contained  in  what  thou 
hast  written ;  always  remembering  that  all  the  perfection 
of  a  Christian  life  must  be  founded  upon  the  Catholic 
truths,  and  in  the  constant  and  firm  acknowledgment  of 
them,  as  they  are  taught  by  holy  faith.  In  order  to  im- 
press them  upon  thy  heart,  thou  must  profit  of  all  that 
thou  readest  or  hearest  of  the  divine  Writings,  and  of 
what  is  contained  in  the  other  devout  and  instructive 
books  concerning  the  virtues.  Thy  faith  thou  must  ac- 
company by  the  practice  and  abundance  of  all  good  works, 
hoping  ever  in  the  visitation  and  coming  of  the  Most 
High  (Tit.  2,  13). 

563.  By  such  a  disposition  thy  soul  will  be  prepared 
in  the  manner  I  require  of  thee.  For  I  desire  that  the 
Almighty  find  in  thee  the  sweet  readiness  to  adopt  what- 
ever is  manifested  to  thee,  and  to  put  in  practice  what- 
ever may  be  enjoined  without  any  human  respect.  I 
promise,  that  if  thou  follow  my  counsel  as  thou  shouldst, 
I  will  be  thy  star  and  guide  on  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  so 
that  thou  wilt  quickly  arrive  at  the  vision  and  enjoyment 
of  thy  God  and  of  thy  highest  good  in  Sion  (Ps.  83,  8). 
In  this  doctrine,  and  in  what  happened  to  the  devout 
kings  of  the  Orient,  there  is  contained  a  most  effective 


476  CITY   OF   GOD 

means  for  the  salvation  of  souls ;  yet  this  is  known  to  few 
and  heeded  by  a  still  smaller  number  of  men.  It  is  this : 
that  the  inspirations  and  enlightenments  are  usually  sent 
by  God  to  creatures  in  a  certain  order.  At  first  some 
are  sent  to  incite  the  soul  to  practice  some  of  the  virtues ; 
if  the  soul  corresponds,  the  Most  High  sends  other  and 
greater  ones  in  order  to  move  the  soul  to  greater  perfec- 
tion in  virtue;  and  thus,  profiting  from  previous  graces, 
the  soul  is  disposed  for  still  others,  receiving  ever  greater 
helps  and  securing  an  increase  of  the  favors  of  the  Lord 
according  as  it  corresponds  to  them.  Thou  wilt  there- 
fore understand  two  things :  first,  how  great  a  damage  it 
is  to  neglect  the  exercise  of  any  virtue  and  not  to  prac- 
tice perfection  according  to  the  dictates  of  the  divine  in- 
spirations; secondly,  how  often  God  would  give  great 
assistance  to  the  souls,  if  they  would  begin  to  correspond 
to  the  smaller  ones ;  since  He  is  as  it  were  in  expectation 
and  hope  that  they  will  prepare  for  his  greater  ones 
(Apoc.  6,  20).  For  He  wishes  to  deal  with  the  soul 
according  to  his  just  judgments.  But  because  they  over- 
look this  orderly  manner  of  proceeding  in  his  invitations, 
He  suspends  the  flow  of  his  divine  gifts  and  He  refuses 
to  the  souls,  what  was  intended  for  them  if  they  had  not 
placed  an  obstacle,  allowing  them  to  fall  from  one  abyss 
to  the  other  (Ps.  41,  8). 

564.  The  Magi  and  Herod  pursued  opposite  courses: 
the  Magi  met  the  first  inspirations  and  graces  by  the 
practice  of  the  good  works;  thus  they  disposed  them- 
selves by  many  virtues  for  being  called  and  drawn  by 
divine  revelation  to  the  knowledge  of  the  mysteries  of 
the  Incarnation,  the  birth  of  the  divine  Word  and  the 
Redemption  of  the  human  race ;  and  through  this  to  the 
happiness  and  perfection  of  the  way  of  life.  But  Herod, 
on  the  other  hand,  by  his  hard-heartedness  and  neglect 


THE   INCARNATION  477 

of  the  helps,  which  God  offered  him  for  the  practice  of 
virtue,  was  drawn  into  the  abyss  of  his  measureless 
pride  and  ambition.  These  vices  hurled  him  into  such 
vast  precipices  of  cruelty  as  to  be  the  first  one  among 
men  to  seek  the  life  of  the  Redeemer  of  the  world  under 
the  cloak  of  simulated  devotion  and  piety.  In  giving 
vent  to  his  furious  rage,  he  took  away  the  life  of  the 
innocent  children  and  attempted  by  so  foul  a  measure  to 
advance  his  damned  and  perverse  undertaking. 


2-32 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  MAGI  KINGS  RETURN  ONCE  MORE  TO  SEE  AND  ADORE 
THE  INFANT  JESUS:  THEY  OEEER  THEIR  GIFTS  ON 
TAKING  LEAVE,  AND  RETURN  BY  A  DIFFERENT  ROUTE 
TO  THEIR  HOMES. 

565.  From  the  grotto  of  the  Nativity,  into  which  the 
three  Kings  had  entered  directly  on  their  way  to  Jerusa- 
lem, they  betook  themselves  to  a  lodging  inside  of  the 
town  of  Bethlehem.  They  retired  to  a  room  where,  in 
an  abundance  of  affectionate  tears  and  aspirations,  they 
spent  the  greater  part  of  the  night,  speaking  of  what  they 
had  seen,  of  the  feelings  and  affections  aroused  in  each, 
and  of  what  each  had  noticed  for  himself  in  the  divine 
Child  and  his  Mother.  During  this  conference  they 
were  more  and  more  inflamed  with  divine  love,  amazed 
at  the  majesty  and  divine  effulgence  of  the  Infant  Jesus; 
at  the  prudence,  modesty  and  reserve  of  his  Mother;  at 
the  holiness  of  her  spouse  Joseph,  and  the  poverty  of  all 
three;  at  the  humbleness  of  the  place,  where  the  Lord 
of  heaven  and  earth  had  wished  to  be  born.  The  devout 
kings  felt  a  divine  fire,  which  flamed  up  in  their  hearts, 
and,  not  being  able  to  restrain  themselves,  they  broke  out 
into  exclamations  of  sweet  affection  and  acts  of  great 
reverence  and  love.  "What  is  this  that  we  feel?"  they 
said.  "What  influence  of  this  great  King  is  it  that 
moves  us  to  such  desires  and  affections?  After  this,  how 
shall  we  converse  with  men?  What  can  we  do,  who 
have  been  instructed  in  such  new,  hidden  and  super- 
natural mysteries?     O  greatness  of  his  Omnipotence  un- 

478 


THE   INCARNATION  479 

known  to  men  and  concealed  beneath  so  much  poverty! 
O  humility  unimaginable  for  mortals!  Would  that  all 
be  drawn  to  it,  in  order  that  they  may  not  be  deprived 
of  such  happiness !" 

566.  During-  these  divine  colloquies  the  Magi  remem- 
bered the  dire  destitution  of  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph  in 
their  cave,  and  they  resolved  immediately  to  send  them 
some  gifts  in  order  to  show  their  affection  and  to  satisfy 
their  desire  of  serving  them,  since  they  could  not  do  any- 
thing else  for  them.  They  sent  through  their  servants 
many  of  the  presents,  which  they  had  already  set  aside 
for  them,  and  others  which  they  could  procure.  Most 
holy  Mary  and  Joseph  received  these  gifts  with  humble 
acknowledgment  and  they  made  a  return  not  of  empty- 
worded  thanks,  as  other  men  are  apt  to  make,  but  many 
efficacious  blessings  for  the  spiritual  consolation  of  the 
three  Kings.  These  gifts  enabled  our  great  Queen  to 
prepare  for  her  ordinary  guests,  the  poor,  an  abundant 
repast ;  for  the  needy  ones  were  accustomed  to  receive 
alms  from  Her,  and,  attracted  still  more  by  her  sweet 
words,  were  wont  to  come  and  visit  Her.  The  Kings 
went  to  rest  full  of  incomparable  joy  in  the  Lord;  and 
in  their  sleep  the  angels  advised  them  as  to  their  journey 
homeward. 

567.  On  the  following  day  at  dawn  they  returned  to 
the  cave  of  the  Nativity  in  order  to  offer  to  the  heavenly 
King  the  special  gifts  which  they  had  provided.  Ar- 
riving they  prostrated  themselves  anew  in  profound 
humility;  and  opening  their  treasures,  as  Scripture  re- 
lates, they  offered  Him  gold,  incense  and  myrrh  (Matth. 
2,  11).  They  consulted  the  heavenly  Mother  in  regard 
to  many  mysteries  and  practices  of  faith,  and  concerning 
matters  pertaining  to  their  consciences  and  to  the  gov-^ 
ernment  of  their  countries;  for  they  wished  to  return 


480  CITY   OF   GOD 

well  instructed  and  capable  of  directing  themselves  to 
holiness  and  perfection  in  their  daily  life.  The  great 
Lady  heard  them  with  exceeding  pleasure  and  She  con- 
ferred interiorly  with  the  divine  Infant  concerning  all 
that  they  had  asked,  in  order  to  answer  and  properly  to 
instruct  these  sons  of  the  new  Law.  As  a  Teacher  and 
an  instrument  of  divine  wisdom  She  answered  all  their 
questions,  giving  them  such  high  precepts  of  sanctity 
that  they  could  scarcely  part  from  Her  on  account  of  the 
sweetness  and  attraction  of  her  words.  However,  an 
angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  them,  reminding  them  of 
the  necessity  and  of  the  will  of  the  Lord  that  they  should 
return  to  their  country.  No  wonder  that  her  words 
should  so  deeply  affect  these  Kings;  for  all  her  words 
were  inspired  by  the  holy  Spirit  and  full  of  infused 
science  regarding  all  that  they  had  inquired  and  many 
other  matters. 

568.  The  heavenly  Mother  received  the  gifts  of  the 
Kings  and  in  their  name  offered  them  to  the  Infant  Jesus. 
His  Majesty  showed  by  signs  of  highest  pleasure,  that 
He  accepted  their  gifts:  they  themselves  became  aware 
of  the  exalted  and  heavenly  blessings  with  which  He 
repaid  them  more  than  a  hundredfold  (Matth.  19,  29). 
According  to  the  custom  of  their  country  they  also  offered 
to  the  heavenly  Princess  some  gems  of  great  value;  but 
because  these  gifts  had  no  mysterious  signification  and 
referred  not  to  Jesus,  She  returned  them  to  the  Kings, 
reserving  only  the  gifts  of  gold,  incense  and  myrrh.  In 
order  to  send  them  away  more  rejoiced,  She  gave  them 
some  of  the  clothes  in  which  She  had  wrapped  the  infant 
God;  for  She  neither  had  nor  could  have  had  any 
greater  visible  pledges  of  esteem  with  which  to  enrich 
them  at  their  departure.  The  three  Kings  received  these 
relics  with  such  reverence  and  esteem  that  they  encased 


THE    INCARNATION  481 

them  in  gold  and  precious  stones  in  order  to  keep  them 
ever  after.  As  a  proof  of  their  value  these  relics  spread 
about  such  a  copious  fragrance  that  they  revealed  their 
presence  a  league  in  circumference.  However,  only  those 
who  believed  in  the  coming  of  God  into  the  world  were 
able  to  perceive  it ;  while  the  incredulous  perceived  none  of 
the  fragrance  emitted  by  the  relics.  In  their  own  coun- 
tries the  Magi  performed  great  miracles  with  these  relics. 

569.  The  holy  Kings  also  offered  their  property  and 
possession  to  the  Mother  of  the  sweetest  Jesus,  or,  if  She 
did  not  wish  to  accept  of  them  and  preferred  to  live  in 
this  place,  where  her  most  holy  Son  had  been  bom,  they 
would  build  Her  a  house,  wherein  She  could  live  more 
comfortably.  The  most  prudent  Mother  thanked  them 
for  their  offers  without  accepting  them.  On  taking  leave 
of  Her,  the  three  Kings  besought  Her  from  their  inmost 
hearts  not  to  forget  them,  which  She  promised  and  ful- 
filled ;  in  the  same  way  they  spoke  to  saint  Joseph.  With 
the  blessing  of  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph,  they  departed, 
so  moved  by  tenderest  affection  that  it  seemed  to  them 
they  had  left  their  hearts  all  melted  into  sighs  and  tears 
in  that  place.  They  chose  another  way  for  their  return 
journey,  in  order  not  to  meet  Herod  in  Jerusalem;  for 
thus  they  had  been  instructed  by  the  angel  on  the  pre- 
ceding night.  On  their  departure  from  Bethlehem  the 
same  or  a  similar  star  appeared  in  order  to  guide  them 
home,  conducting  them  on  their  new  route  to  the  place 
where  they  had  first  met,  whence  each  one  separated  to 
reach  his  own  country. 

570.  For  the  rest  of  their  lives  these  most  fortunate 
Kings  lived  up  to  their  divine  vocation  as  true  disciples 
of  the  Mistress  of  holiness,  governing  both  their  souls 
and  the  people  of  their  states  according  to  her  teaching. 
By  the  example  of  their  lives  and  the  knowledge  of  the 


482  CITY   OF   GOD 

Messias,  which  they  spread  about,  they  converted  a  great 
number  of  souls  to  the  belief  in  the  true  God  and  to  the 
way  of  salvation.  Finally,  full  of  days  and  merits,  they 
closed  their  careers  in  sanctity  and  justice,  having  been 
favored  both  in  life  and  in  death  by  the  Mother  of  mercy. 
After  dismissing  the  Kings,  the  heavenly  Queen  and  saint 
Joseph  spent  their  time  in  new  canticles  of  praise  of  the 
wonders  of  the  Most  High,  conferring  them  with  the 
sayings  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  prophecies  of  the  Pa- 
triarchs, which  they  saw  fulfilled  one  after  another  in 
the  Infant  Jesus.  But  the  most  prudent  Mother,  who 
profoundly  penetrated  into  the  deepest  meaning  of  these 
high  sacraments,  remembered  them  all  and  treasured 
them  up  in  her  bosom  (Luke  2,  19).  The  holy  angels, 
who  were  witnesses  of  these  holy  mysteries,  congratu- 
lated their  Queen,  that  her  most  holy  Son  had  been  mani- 
fested and  that  his  Majesty  had  been  adored  by  men; 
and  they  sang  to  Him  new  canticles,  magnifying  his 
mercies  wrought  upon  mankind. 

INSTRUCTION   WHICH  THE  QUEEN  OE  HEAVEN   GAVE  ME. 

571.  My  daughter,  great  were  the  gifts  which  the 
Kings  offered  to  my  most  holy  Son ;  but  greater  still  was 
the  affection  with  which  they  offered  them  and  the  mys- 
tery concealed  beneath  them.  On  account  of  all  this 
they  were  most  acceptable  to  his  Majesty.  I  wish  that 
thou  also  offer  up  similar  gifts,  thanking  Him  for  hav- 
ing made  thee  poor  in  condition  and  profession.  For  I 
assure  thee,  my  dearest,  there  is  no  more  acceptable  gift 
to  the  Most  High  than  voluntary  poverty.  There  are 
very  few  in  the  world  in  our  days  who  use  well  the 
temporal  riches  and  offer  them  to  their  God  and  Lord 
with  the  generosity  and  love  of  these  holy  Kings.     The 


THE   INCARNATION  483 

poor  of  the  Lord,  so  numerous  in  our  day,  experience 
and  give  witness  how  cruel  and  avaricious  human  nature 
has  become;  since  in  their  great  necessities  they  are  so 
little  succored  by  the  rich.  This  gross  uncharitableness 
of  men  offends  the  holy  angels  and  grieves  the  Holy 
Ghost,  since  they  are  bound  to  witness  the  nobility  of 
the  souls  so  degraded  and  abased  in  the  service  of  vile 
greed  of  gold  with  all  its  evil  powers  (Eccles.  10,  20). 
As  if  all  things  had  been  created  for  the  individual  use 
of  the  rich,  they  appropriate  them  to  themselves  and  de- 
prive the  poor,  their  brothers  springing  from  the  same 
nature  and  flesh;  and  denying  them  even  to  God,  who 
created  and  preserves  all  things,  and  who  can  give  or 
take  at  will.  It  is  most  lamentable  that  while  the  rich 
might  purchase  eternal  life  with  their  possessions,  they 
abuse  them  to  draw  upon  themselves  damnation  as  sense- 
less and  foolish  creatures  (Luke  16,  9). 

572.  This  evil  is  common  among  the  children  of 
Adam;  and  therefore  voluntary  poverty  is  so  excellent 
and  safe  a  remedy.  By  it,  making  man  willing  to  part 
joyfully  with  his  possessions  for  the  sake  of  the  poor,  ai 
great  sacrifice  is  offered  to  the  Lord.  Thou  also  canst 
make  such  an  offering  of  the  things  necessary  for  suste- 
nance, giving  a  part  of  it  to  the  poor  and  desiring,  if  it 
were  possible  by  thy  labor  and  sweat,  to  help  all  of  them. 
Thy  ceaseless  offer,  however,  must  be  love,  which  is  the 
gold;  continual  prayer,  which  is  the  incense;  and  the 
patient  acceptance  of  labors  and  true  mortifications, 
which  is  the  myrrh.  All  that  thou  dost  for  the  Lord, 
thou  should  offer  up  to  Him  with  fervent  affection  and 
promptitude,  without  negligence  or  fear;  for  negligent 
works,  and  those  not  enlivened  by  love,  are  not  an  ac- 
ceptable sacrifice  in  the  eyes  of  his  Majesty.  In  order 
to  make  those  incessant  offerings,  it  is  necessary  that 


484  CITY   OF   GOD 

divine  faith  and  light  continually  inflame  thy  heart,  hav- 
ing before  thy  eyes  the  great  object  of  thy  praise  and  ex- 
altation, and  the  stimulus  of  love,  by  which  thou  art 
bound  to  the  right  hand  of  the  Most  High.  Thus 
shouldst  thou  continue  incessantly  in  this  sweet  exercise 
of  love,  so  proper  to  the  spouses  of  his  Majesty;  for  their 
name  implies  such  a  continual  payment  of  the  debt  of 
love  and  affection. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

MOST  HOLY  MARY  AND  JOSEPH  DISTRIBUTE  THE  GIFTS 
RECEIVED  FROM  THE  MAGI ;  AND  THEY  REMAIN  IN 
BETHLEHEM  UNTIL  THEIR  DEPARTURE  FOR  THE 
PRESENTATION  OF  THE  INFANT  JESUS  IN  THB 
TEMPLE. 

573.  After  the  departure  of  the  three  Kings  and  after 
the  due  celebration  of  the  great  mystery  of  the  adoration 
of  the  Infant  Jesus,  there  was  really  nothing  to  wait  for 
in  that  poor  yet  sacred  place,  and  they  were  free  to 
leave  it.  The  most  prudent  Mother  then  said  to  saint 
Joseph:  "My  master  and  spouse,  the  offerings  which 
the  Kings  have  made  to  our  God  and  Child  must  not 
remain  here  idle ;  but  they  must  be  applied  in  the  service 
of  his  Majesty  and  should  be  used  according  to  his  will 
and  pleasure.  I  deserve  nothing,  even  of  temporal 
goods ;  dispose  of  all  these  gifts  as  belonging  to  my  Son 
and  to  thee."  The  most  faithful  of  husbands  answered, 
with  his  accustomed  humility  and  courtesy,  that  he  would 
leave  all  to  Her  and  would  be  pleased  to  see  Her  dispose 
of  them.  But  her  Majesty  insisted  anew  and  said: 
"Since  thou  makest  an  excuse  of  humility,  my  master, 
do  it  then  for  love  of  the  poor,  who  are  waiting  for  their 
share ;  they  have  a  right  to  the  things  which  their  heav- 
enly Father  has  created  for  their  sustenance."  They 
therefore  immediately  concluded  to  divide  the  gifts  into 
three  parts :  one  destined  for  the  temple  of  Jerusalem, 
namely  the  incense  and  myrrh,  as  well  as  part  of  the 
gold ;  another  part  as  offering  to  the  priest,  who  had  cir- 

485 


486  CITY    OF   GOD 

cumcised  the  Child,  in  order  that  he  might  use  it  for  him- 
self and  for  the  synagogue  or  oratory  in  Bethlehem,  and 
the  third  part  for  distribution  among  the  poor.  This 
resolve  they  executed  with  generous  and  fervent  affection. 
574.  The  Almighty  made  use  of  a  poor  but  honorable 
and  pious  woman  to  be  the  occasion  of  their  leaving  the 
cave.  She  had  come  a  few  times  to  visit  our  Queen; 
for  the  house  in  which  She  lived  was  built  up  against 
the  wall  of  the  city,  not  far  from  the  cave.  Some  time 
later  this  devout  woman,  not  being  aware  of  what  had 
happened,  but  having  heard  the  rumor  of  the  Kings' 
coming,  held  a  conversation  with  most  holy  Mary  and 
asked  Her  whether  She  had  heard  that  some  wise  men, 
who  were  said  to  be  kings,  had  come  from  far  seeking 
the  Messias  ?  The  heavenly  Princess,  aware  of  the  good 
disposition  of  this  woman,  took  occasion  to  instruct  her 
and  catechize  her  in  the  common  belief,  without  reveal- 
ing to  her  the  hidden  sacrament  connected  with  Herself 
and  the  sweetest  Child  whom  She  held  in  her  arms 
(Tob.  12,  7).  In  order  to  relieve  her  poverty  She  gave 
her  some  of  the  gold  destined  for  the  poor.  Thereby 
the  condition  of  this  fortunate  woman  was  much  im- 
proved and  she  became  attached  with  heart  and  soul 
to  her  Teacher  and  Benefactress.  She  invited  the  holy 
Family  to  live  in  her  house;  and  as  it  was  a  poor  one, 
it  was  so  much  the  more  accommodated  to  the  Founders 
and  Builders  of  holy  poverty.  The  poor  woman  pleaded 
with  great  persistence,  as  she  saw  the  great  inconvenience 
to  which  the  most  holy  Mary  and  Joseph  with  the  Child 
were  subject  in  the  cave.  The  Queen  did  not  refuse  her 
off'er  and  answered,  that  She  would  let  her  know  of  her 
decision.  Mary  and  saint  Joseph  conferred  with  each 
other  and  they  resolved  to  leave  the  cave  and  lodge  in 
the  house  of  this  woman,  awaiting  there  the  time  of  the 


THE   INCARNATION  487 

purification  and  the  presentation  in  the  temple.  They 
did  it  so  much  the  more  willingly  as  it  afforded  them  a 
chance  to  remain  near  the  cave  of  the  Nativity;  and  also 
because  many  people  began  to  frequent  the  cave  on  ac- 
count of  the  rumor  of  the  visit  of  the  Kings,  which  had 
been  spread  about. 

575.  On  account  of  these  and  other  considerations 
m6st  holy  Mary,  with  saint  Joseph  and  the  sacred  Child 
took  leave  of  the  cave  although  with  tenderest  regret. 
They  accepted  the  hospitality  of  that  fortunate  woman, 
who  received  them  with  the  greatest  charity  and  assigned 
to  them  the  larger  portion  of  her  dwelling.  The  holy 
angels  and  ministers  of  the  Most  High  accompanied  them 
in  human  forms,  which  they  had  always  retained.  When- 
ever the  heavenly  Mother  and  saint  Joseph  her  spouse 
piously  revisited  the  memorable  spots  of  this  sanctuary, 
they  came  and  went  with  them  as  numerous  courtiers 
delegated  to  their  service.  Moreover,  when  the  Child 
and  his  Mother  took  leave  of  the  cave,  God  appointed 
an  angel  as  its  keeper  and  watcher,  as  He  had  done  with 
the  garden  of  Paradise  (Gen.  3,  24).  And  this  guard 
remained  and  does  remain  to  this  day  sword  in  hand 
at  the  opening  of  the  cave;  and  never  since  then  has  an 
animal  entered  there.  That  this  holy  angel  does  not 
hinder  the  entrance  of  hostile  infidels,  in  whose  posses- 
sion this  and  the  other  holy  places  are,  is  because  of  the 
judgments  of  the  Most  High,  who  allows  men  to  execute 
the  designs  of  his  wisdom  and  justice.  This  permission 
would  not  be  necessary,  if  Christian  princes  were  filled 
with  fervent  zeal  for  the  honor  and  glory  of  Christ  and 
would  seek  the  restoration  of  these  holy  places,  con- 
secrated by  the  blood  and  the  labors  of  the  Lord  and  of 
his  most  holy  Mother,  and  by  the  works  of  our  Redemp- 
tion.   And  even  if  this  would  not  be  possible,  there  is  no 


488  CITY   OF   GOD 

excuse  for  not  attending*  with  faithful  dihgence  to  the 
decent  keeping  of  the  mysterious  places ;  since  nothing  is 
impossible  to  the  believer,  who  can  overcome  the  moun- 
tains (Matth.  17,  19).  I  was  given  to  understand,  that 
the  pious  devotion  and  veneration  for  the  Holy  Land 
is  one  of  the  most  powerful  and  efficacious  means  for 
establishing  and  confirming  Catholic  monarchies ;  and  no 
one  can  deny,  that  many  of  their  excessive  and  unneces- 
sary expenses  could  be  avoided  by  employing  their  re- 
sources in  such  a  pious  enterprise,  which  would  be  pleas- 
ing both  to  God  and  to  men;  for  in  making  such  an 
honest  use  of  their  incomes  there  is  no  need  of  outward 
justification. 

576.  The  most  pure  Mary  and  her  spouse,  having  with 
her  divine  Child  moved  to  the  dwelling  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  cave,  remained  there  until,  according  to  the  re- 
quirements of  the  law.  She  was  to  be  present  Herself 
with  her  First-born  for  purification  in  the  temple.  For  this 
mystery  the  most  holy  of  creatures  resolved  to  dispose 
Herself  worthily  by  a  fervent  desire  of  carrying  the  infant 
Jesus  as  an  offering  to  the  eternal  Father  in  his  temple ; 
by  imitating  her  Son  and  by  seeking  the  adornment  and 
beauty  of  great  virtues  as  a  worthy  offering  and  victim 
for  the  Most  High.  With  this  intention  the  heavenly 
Lady,  during  the  days  which  still  remained  until  her 
purification,  performed  such  heroic  acts  of  love  and  of 
all  other  virtues,  that  neither  the  tongue  of  angels  nor 
of  men  can  explain  them.  How  much  less  can  this  then 
be  done  by  a  useless  and  entirely  ignorant  woman?  By 
sincere  piety  and  devotion,  the  Christians  who  dispose 
themselves  by  reverent  contemplation,  will  merit  to  feel 
these  mysteries.  Judging  of  the  more  intelligible  favors 
received  by  the  Virgin  Mother,  they  can  surmise  and 


THE   INCARNATION  489 

imagine  the  others,  which  do  not  fall  within  the  scope 
of  human  words. 

577.  From  his  very  Birth  the  infant  Jesus  spoke  to 
his  sweetest  Mother  in  audible  words;  for  immediately 
after  his  Birth  (as  mentioned  in  chapter  the  tenth),  He 
said  to  Her :  "Imitate  Me,  my  Spouse,  make  thyself  like 
unto  Me."  This  was  when  They  were  alone,  and  al- 
though He  always  spoke  to  Her  most  plainly,  saint 
Joseph  never  heard  his  words  until  the  Child  was  one 
year  of  age,  when  He  also  spoke  to  him.  Nor  did  the 
heavenly  Lady  reveal  this  secret,  for  She  understood, 
that  it  was  only  for  Her.  The  conversations  of  the  in- 
fant God  were  such  as  were  worthy  of  the  greatness  of 
his  majesty  and  his  infinite  power;  such  as  were  befitting 
the  most  pure  and  holy,  the  most  wise  and  prudent  of 
all  creatures  next  to  Himself,  and  One  who  was  his  true 
Mother.  Sometimes  He  said:  "My  Dove,  my  chosen 
One,  my  dearest  Mother."  (Cant.  2,  10).  In  such 
caressing  words  as  were  contained  in  the  Canticles  and 
other  continual  interior  intercourse  the  most  holy  Son 
and  Mother  passed  their  time ;  and  in  these  the  heavenly 
Princess  received  favors,  and  was  delighted  by  caresses 
so  sweet  and  loving,  as  exceed  those  of  the  Canticles 
of  Solomon;  and  greater  ones  than  all  the  just  and  holy 
souls  enjoyed  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
Many  times,  during  these  mysteries  of  his  lovCj  the  In- 
fant Jesus  repeated  these  words  already  mentioned: 
"Make  thyself  like  unto  Me,  my  Mother  and  my  Dove." 
As  they  were  words  of  life  and  infinite  power,  and  as 
most  holy  Mary  at  the  same  time  was  furnished  with  the 
infused  knowledge  of  all  the  interior  operations  of  the 
soul  of  her  Onlybegotten,  no  tongue  can  declare  nor 
thought  can  comprehend  the  effects  wrought  in  the  most 


490  CITY  OF  GOD 

candid  and  inflamed  heart  of  this  Mother  of  the  God- 
man. 

578.  Among  the  more  rare  and  excellent  privileges  of 
most  pure  Mary,  the  chief  one  is,  that  She  is  Mother  of 
God,  which  is  the  foundation  of  all  the  rest.  The  second 
is,  that  She  was  conceived  without  sin.  The  third,  that 
She  enjoyed  many  times  the  beatific  vision  in  this  mortal 
life,  and  the  fourth  is  that  She  continually  saw  clearly 
the  most  holy  soul  of  her  Son  and  all  its  operations  for 
her  imitation.  She  had  it  present  to  her  eyes,  as  a  most 
clear  and  pure  mirror,  in  which  She  could  behold  Her- 
self again  and  again  in  order  to  adorn  Herself  with  most 
precious  gems  of  virtue,  made  in  imitation  of  those  seen 
in  that  most  holy  Soul.  There  She  saw  it  united  with 
the  divine  Word  and  She  exercised  her  humility  in  see- 
ing how  much  her  own  human  nature  was  inferior  to 
that  of  Christ.  She  perceived  with  the  clearest  insight 
the  acts  of  gratitude  and  praise,  with  which  the  soul  of 
Christ  praised  the  Almighty  for  having  been  created 
out  of  nothing  as  the  rest  of  the  souls,  and  for  the  graces 
and  gifts,  with  which  it  was  endowed  above  others  as 
a  creature;  and  especially,  for  having  been  elevated  and 
made  godlike  by  the  union  of  the  human  nature  with  the 
Divinity.  She  pondered  over  his  petitions,  prayers  and 
supplications  to  his  eternal  Father  for  the  human  race; 
and  how  in  all  his  other  activity  He  prepared  Himself 
for  its  Redemption  and  instruction,  as  the  sole  Redeemer 
and  Teacher  of  man  for  eternal  life. 

579.  All  these  works  of  the  most  holy  humanity  of 
Christ,  our  supreme  Good,  his  most  pure  Mother  con- 
tinually sought  to  imitate.  There  is  much  to  say  con- 
cerning this  great  mystery  of  her  imitation  in  this  his- 
tory; for  She  had  this  example  and  model  incessantly 
before  her  eyes,  and  according  to  it  She  regulated  her 


THE   INCARNATION  491 

own  activity  and  behavior  during  the  Incarnation  and 
Nativity  of  her  Son.  Like  a  busy  bee  She  continually 
built  up  the  sweetest  honeycomb  of  delights  for  the  in- 
carnate Word.  His  Majesty,  having  come  from  heaven 
as  our  Redeemer  and  Teacher,  wished  that  his  most  holy 
Mother,  of  whom  He  had  formed  his  human  existence, 
should  participate  in  a  most  exalted  and  singular  manner 
in  the  fruits  of  the  common  Redemption  and  that  She 
should  be  the  chosen  and  selected  Disciple,  in  whom  his 
teaching  should  be  vividly  stamped  and  whom  He  wished 
to  make  as  similar  to  Himself  as  possible.  In  the  light 
of  these  intentions  and  blessed  purposes  of  the  incarnate 
Word  we  must  judge  of  the  greatness  of  Mary's  deeds, 
and  of  the  delights,  which  He  enjoyed  while  resting  upon 
her  arms  and  reclining  upon  her  breast;  for  it  was  in- 
deed the  bridal-chamber  and  the  couch  of  this  the  true 
Spouse  (Cant.  1,  15). 

580.  During  the  days  in  which  the  most  holy  Queen 
tarried  near  Bethlehem  before  the  purification,  some  of 
the  people  came  to  see  and  speak  with  Her;  but  almost 
all  of  them  were  of  the  poorest  class.  Some  of  them 
came  because  of  the  alms  which  She  distributed,  others, 
because  they  had  heard  of  the  Kings,  who  had  visited 
the  cave.  All  of  them  spoke  of  this  visit  and  of  the 
coming  of  the  Redeemer;  for  in  those  days,  (not  with- 
out divine  predisposal),  the  belief,  that  the  birth  of  the 
Messias  was  at  hand,  was  very  widespread  among  the 
Jews,  and  the  talk  about  it  was  very  frequent.  This  gave 
the  most  prudent  Mother  repeated  occasion  to  exercise 
Herself  in  magnanimous  works,  not  only  by  guarding 
the  secret  of  her  bosom  and  by  conferring  within  Her- 
self about  all  that  She  saw  and  heard,  but  also  by  direct- 
ing many  souls  toward  the  knowledge  of  God,  by  con- 
firming them  in  the  faith,  instructing  them  in  the  practice 


492  CITY   OF   GOD 

of  virtues,  enlightening  them  in  the  mysteries  of  the 
Messias  whom  they  were  expecting,  and  dispelHng  the 
ignorance,  in  which  they  were  cast  as  a  low-minded  peo- 
ple, little  versed  in  the  things  of  God.  Sometimes  their 
talk  about  these  matters  was  so  full  of  error  and  woman- 
ish prattle,  that  the  simple  saint  Joseph  smiled  in  secret. 
He  wondered  at  the  heavenly  wisdom  and  force  of  the 
answers,  with  which  the  great  Lady  met  their  gossip 
and  instructed  them;  at  her  patience  and  gentleness  in 
leading  them  to  the  truth  and  to  the  perception  of  the 
light;  at  her  profound  humility  and  yet  patient  reserve, 
with  which  She  knew  how  to  dismiss  all  of  them  con- 
soled, rejoiced  and  furnished  with  all  that  was  good  for 
them  to  know.  She  spoke  to  them  words  of  eternal 
life,  which  penetrated,  inflamed  and  strengthened  their 
hearts  (John  6,  69). 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH  THE  MOST  HOLY  MARY  OUR  QUEEN 

GAVE   ME. 

581.  My  daughter,  by  the  divine  light  I  knew,  better 
than  all  other  creatures,  at  what  a  low  value  the  Most 
High  esteems  earthly  blessings  and  riches.  Therefore, 
in  my  holy  liberty  of  spirit,  I  felt  myself  troubled  and 
inconvenienced  by  the  possession  of  the  treasures  of  the 
Kings  offered  to  my  most  holy  Son.  As  in  all  my  deeds 
I  was  to  shine  in  humility  and  obedience,  I  did  not  wish 
to  appropriate  them  to  myself,  nor  dispose  of  them  ac- 
cording to  my  own  will,  but  according  to  the  wishes  of 
my  spouse  Joseph.  In  this  resignation  I  managed  to  act 
as  if  1  were  his  handmaid  and  as  if  none  of  these  gifts 
concerned  me  in  any  way ;  for  it  is  debasing,  and  for  you 
weak  creatures,  very  dangerous  to  appropriate  or  attrib- 
ute any  of  the  goods  of  the  earth,  be  they  of  material 


THE   INCARNATION  493 

possessions  or  goods  of  honor ;  for  all  this  cannot  be  done 
without  covetousness,  ambition  and  vain  ostentation. 

582.  I  wished  to  tell  thee  all  this,  my  dearest,  in  order 
that  thou  may  est  know  how  to  refuse  riches  or  honor  as 
due  to  thee,  and  not  appropriate  to  thyself  any  of  them; 
especially  not  if  thou  receive  them  from  persons  of  in- 
fluence and  exalted  station.  Preserve  thy  interior  liberty 
and  make  no  show  of  a  thing-  which  is  worth  nothing  and 
which  cannot  justify  thee  before  God.  If  anything  is 
brought  to  thee,  never  say :  "This  is  given  to  me,  or  is 
presented  to  me ;"  but  "This  the  Lord  sends  to  our  con- 
vent; pray  to  God  for  those,  whom  his  Majesty  has  sent 
as  the  instruments  of  his  mercies."  And  mention  the 
name  of  the  giver,  in  order  that  they  may  pray  partic- 
ularly for  him  and  that  he  may  not  be  disappointed  in 
the  purpose  of  his  gift.  Also  do  not  receive  it  personally, 
lest  you  raise  a  suspicion  of  covetousness,  but  let  those 
appointed  for  this  duty  receive  it.  And,  if  in  thy  office 
as  superior,  thou  must  make  distribution  of  things  within 
the  convent,  let  it  be  with  detachment  and  without  any 
show  of  personal  rights  of  possession  in  them;  yet  at 
the  same  time,  as  one  who  knows  that  she  does  not 
deserve  any  favors,  do  not  forget  to  thank  the  Most 
High  and  the  giver.  That  which  is  brought  to  the 
other  religious  thou  must  acknowledge  thankfully  as  the 
superior  and  immediately  see  that  thou  apply  it  for  the 
community,  without  reserving  any  part  of  it  for  thy  own 
use.  Do  not  inquire  curiously  about  the  incomes  of  the 
convent,  in  order  that  thou  mayest  not  take  a  sensible 
pleasure  therein  and  that  thou  mayest  not  seek  delight 
in  the  reception  of  such  favors;- for  frail  and  passionate 
nature  incurs  many  defects  in  such  a  transaction  and  of 
few  of  the  defects  does  it  render  much  account  to  itself. 
Nothing  can  be  trusted  to  infected  human  nature;  for  it 

2-33 


494  CITY    OF    GOD 

always  seeks  after  more  than  it  possesses,  and  it  never 
says  enough,  and  the  more  it  receives  the  greater  thirst  it 
has  for  more. 

583.  But  it  is  to  the  intimate  and  frequent  intercourse 
with  the  Lord  by  unceasing  love,  praise  and  reverence, 
that  I  wish  thee  to  attend  most  of  all.  In  this  I  wish, 
my  daughter,  that  thou  work  with  all  thy  strength,  and 
that  thou  apply  thy  faculties  and  powers  incessantly  with 
great  watchfulness  and  care;  for  without  this  the  in- 
ferior parts  will  inevitably  weigh  down  thy  soul,  derange 
and  upset  it,  divert  and  cast  it  down,  causing  it  to  lose 
the  vision  of  the  highest  Good  (Wis.  9,  15).  This  lov- 
ing intercourse  of  the  Lord  is  so  delicate,  that  even  by 
listening  or  attending  to  the  deceits  of  the  enemy,  the 
soul  loses  it.  On  this  account  the  enemy  makes  great 
efforts  to  draw  thy  attention  toward  himself,  knowing 
that  the  punishment  of  listening  to  him  will  be  the  con- 
cealment of  the  object  of  its  love  from  the  soul  (Cant.  5, 
6).  As  soon  as  it  carelessly  ignores  the  beauty  of  the 
Lord,  it  enters  upon  the  byways  of  neglect  and  is  de- 
prived of  the  divine  sweetness  (Cant.  1,  7).  When  after- 
wards the  soul,  having  with  sorrow  experienced  the  evils 
of  such  inadvertence  wishes  to  return  to  seek  Him,  it 
does  not  always  find  or  recover  Him  (Cant.  3,  1,  2). 
As  the  demon,  who  deceived  it,  then  presents  other  de- 
lights so  vile  and  unlike  those  to  which  the  soul  has  been 
accustomed  interiorly,  new  cause  of  sadness,  disturbance, 
dejection,  lukewarmness  and  dissatisfaction  arises  and 
its  whole  interior  is  filled  with  dangerous  confusion. 

584.  Of  this  truth,  my  dearest,  thou  thyself  hast  some 
experience,  wherein  thou  couldst  notice  the  effects  of 
neglect  and  tardiness  in  believing  the  favors  of  the  Lord. 
It  is  time  that  thou  be  prudent  in  thy  sincerity  and  con- 
stant in  keeping  up  the  fire  of  the  sanctuary  (Lev.  6, 


THE   INCARNATION  495 

12),  without  ever  losing-  sight  for  a  moment  of  that  same 
Object,  which  I  attended  to  with  all  the  powers  of  my 
soul  and  all  my  faculties.  Although  the  distance  between 
thy  conduct,  that  of  a  mere  wormlet,  and  that  which  I 
propose  for  thy  imitation  is  g^eat,  and  although  thou 
canst  not  enjoy  the  supreme  Good  so  unreservedly  as  I, 
nor  live  in  the  same  condition  as  I ;  yet,  since  I  instruct 
thee  and  show  thee  what  I  did  to  assimilate  myself  to  my 
most  holy  Son,  thou  canst  imitate  me  according  to  thy 
strength  using  my  doings  as  a  mirror.  I  saw  Him  in 
the  mirror  of  his  humanity,  thou  in  my  soul  and  person. 
If  the  Almighty  calls  and  invites  all  men  to  the  highest 
perfection  by  following  Him,  consider  what  thou  art 
obliged  to  do,  since  thou  hast  been  drawn  toward  the 
Most  High  by  such  a  generous  and  powerful  influence 
of  his  right  hand  (Matth.  11,  28;  Cant.  1,  3). 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

MOST  HOLY  MARY  AND  JOSEPH  DEPART  WITH  THE  IN- 
FANT JESUS,  IN  ORDER  TO  FUEEIEL  THE  I^W,  BY 
PRESENTING  HIM  IN  THE  TEMPEE  OE  JERUSALEM. 

585.  Already  the  forty  days  after  the  birth  of  a  son, 
during  which  a  woman,  according  to  the  law,  was  con- 
sidered unclean  and  during  which  she  was  obliged  to  con- 
tinue her  purification  for  her  re-admittance  into  the  tem- 
ple, were  coming  to  a  close  (Lev.  22,  4).  In  order  to 
comply  with  this  law  and  satisfy  another  obligation  con- 
tained in  Exodus,  chapter  thirteenth,  which  demanded  the 
sanctification  and  presentation  to  the  Lord  of  all  the  first- 
born sons,  the  Mother  of  all  purity  prepared  to  go  to 
Jerusalem,  where  She  was  to  appear  in  the  temple  with 
her  Son  as  the  Onlybegotten  of  the  eternal  Father  and 
purify  Herself  according  to  the  custom  of  other  women. 
She  had  no  doubts  about  complying  with  that  part  of 
the  law,  which  applied  to  Herself  in  common  with  other 
mothers.  Not  that  She  was  ignorant  of  her  innocence 
and  purity;  for,  ever  since  the  incarnation  of  the  Word, 
She  knew  of  her  exemption  from  actual  sin  and  from  the 
stain  of  original  sin.  Nor  was  She  ignorant  of  the  fact 
that  She  had  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  brought 
forth  without  labor,  remaining  a  virgin  more  pure  than 
the  sun  (Luke  1,  15).  Yet  She  hesitated  not  to  subject 
Herself  to  the  common  law;  on  the  contrary,  in  the  ar- 
dent longing  of  her  heart  after  humiliation  and  annihila- 
tion to  the  dust.  She  desired  to  do  this  of  her  own  free 
will. 

496 


THE   INCARNATION  497 

586.  In  regard  to  the  presentation  of  her  most  holy 
Son  there  was  some  occasion  for  the  same  doubt  as  in 
regard  to  the  Circumcision,  for  She  knew  Him  to  be  the 
true  God,  superior  to  the  laws,  which  He  himself  had 
made.  But  She  was  informed  of  the  will  of  the  Lord 
by  divine  light  and  by  the  interior  acts  of  the  most  holy 
soul  of  the  incarnate  Word;  for  She  saw  his  desire  of 
sacrificing  Himself  and  offering  Himself  as  a  living  Vic- 
tim (Eph.  5,  2)  to  the  eternal  Father,  in  thanksgiving 
for  having  formed  his  most  pure  body  and  created  his 
most  holy  soul ;  for  having  destined  Him  as  an  acceptable 
sacrifice  for  the  human  race  and  for  the  welfare  of  mor- 
tals. These  acts  of  the  most  sacred  humanity  of  the 
Word  were  continual,  conforming  Himself  to  the  divine 
will  not  only  in  so  far  as  He  was  already  beatified,  but 
also  in  so  far  as  He  was  still  a  wayfarer  upon  earth 
and  our  Redeemer.  Yet,  in  addition  to  these  interior 
acts  and  in  obedience  to  the  law.  He  wished  to  be  offered 
to  the  eternal  Father  in  the  temple  where  all  adored  and 
magnified  Him,  as  in  a  house  of  prayer,  expiation  and 
sacrifice  (Deut.  12,  5). 

587.  The  great  Lady  conferred  about  the  journey  with 
her  husband,  and,  having  resolved  to  be  in  Jerusalem 
on  the  very  day  appointed  by  the  law  and  having  made 
the  necessary  preparations,  they  took  leave  of  the  good 
woman,  who  had  so  devotedly  entertained  them.  Although 
this  woman  was  left  in  ignorance  of  the  divine  mysteries 
connected  with  her  Guests,  she  was  filled  with  the  bless- 
ings of  heaven,  which  brought  her  abundant  fruit.  Mary 
and  Joseph  betook  themselves  to  the  cave  of  the  Nativity, 
not  wishing  to  begin  their  journey  without  once  more  ven- 
erating that  sanctuary  so  humble  and  yet  so  rich  in  hap- 
piness, though  at  that  time  this  was  yet  unknown  to  the 
world.     The  Mother  handed  the  Child  Jesus  to  saint 


498  CITY    OF    GOD 

Joseph  in  order  to  prostrate  Herself  and  worship  the  earth 
which  had  been  witness  to  such  venerable  mysteries.  Hav- 
ing done  this  with  incomparable  devotion  and  tenderness. 
She  said  to  her  husband :  "My  master,  give  me  thy  bene- 
diction for  this  journey,  as  thou  art  wont  to  do  at  depart- 
ing from  home.  I  beseech  thee  also  to  allow  me  to  per- 
form this  journey  on  foot  and  unshod ;  since  I  am  to  bear 
in  my  arms  the  Victim,  which  is  to  be  offered  to  the 
eternal  Father.  This  is  a  mysterious  work  and  as  far 
as  it  is  possible,  I  should  wish  to  perform  it  with  due  rev- 
erence and  ceremony."  Our  Queen  was  accustomed,  for 
the  sake  of  modesty,  to  wear  shoes,  which  covered  her 
feet  and  served  as  a  sort  of  stocking.  They  were  made 
of  a  certain  plant  used  by  the  poor  and  something  like 
hemp  or  mallow,  dried  and  woven  into  a  coarse  and  strong 
texture,  which,  though  poor,  was  yet  cleanly  and  ap- 
propriate. 

588.  Saint  Joseph  told  Her  to  arise,  for  She  was 
kneeling  before  him,  and  said :  "May  the  Most  High  Son 
of  the  eternal  Father,  whom  I  hold  in  my  arms,  give 
Thee  his  blessing.  As  for  the  rest  it  is  well  and  good, 
that  Thou  journey  afoot  in  bringing  Him  to  Jerusalem. 
But  Thou  must  not  go  barefoot,  because  the  weather 
does  not  permit  it;  and  thy  desire  will  be  accepted  by 
the  Lord  instead  of  the  deed."  Thus  saint  Joseph,  in 
order  not  to  deprive  most  holy  Mary  of  the  joy  of 
humiliation  and  obedience,  made  use  of  his  authority 
as  husband,  although  with  great  reverence.  And  as 
saint  Joseph  only  obeyed  Her  and  humiliated  and  mor- 
tified himself  in  commanding  Her,  it  happened  that  both 
of  them  exercised  humility  and  obedience  reciprocally. 
That  he  refused  Her  permission  to  go  barefoot  to  Jeru- 
salem was  occasioned  by  his  apprehensions,  lest  the  cold 
should  injure  her  health;  for  he  did  not  know  the  won- 


THE   INCARNATION  499 

derful  qualities  and  composition  of  her  virginal  and  per- 
fect body,  nor  the  other  privileges,  conferred  upon  Her 
by  the  divine  right  hand.  The  obedient  Queen  made  no 
reply  to  the  orders  of  her  husband  and  obeyed  his  wish 
not  to  go  unshod.  In  order  to  again  receive  in  her  arms 
the  Infant  Jesus  She  prostrated  Herself  on  the  earth, 
thanking  Him  and  adoring  Him  for  the  blessings,  which 
He  had  wrought  for  them  and  for  the  whole  human  race 
in. that  cave.  She  besought  his  Majesty,  that  this  sanc- 
tuary be  held  in  esteem  and  reverence  by  the  Catholics 
and  that  it  remain  in  their  possession;  and  She  again 
placed  it  in  charge  of  the  holy  angel,  who  had  been  set 
as  its  guardian.  She  covered  Herself  with  a  cloak  for  the 
journey  and,  receiving  in  Her  arms  Jesus,  the  Treasure 
of  heaven,  She  pressed  Him  to  her  breast,  tenderly  shield- 
ing Him  from  the  inclemency  of  the  wintry  weather. 

589.  They  departed  from  the  cave,  asking  the  blessing 
of  the  infant  God,  which  his  Majesty  gave  them  in  a  visi- 
ble manner.  Saint  Joseph  placed  upon  the  ass  the  chest 
containing  the  clothes  of  the  Infant  and  the  gifts  of  the 
Kings  destined  for  their  temple-offering.  Thus  began 
the  most  solemn  procession,  which  was  ever  held  from 
Bethlehem  to  the  temple  in  Jerusalem;  for  in  company 
with  the  Prince  of  the  eternities,  Jesus,  the  Queen,  his 
Mother,  and  saint  Joseph,  her  spouse,  journeyed  the  ten 
thousand  angels,  that  had  assisted  at  these  mysteries, 
and  the  other  legions,  that  had  brought  from  heaven 
the  sweet  and  holy  name  of  Jesus  at  the  Circumcision 
(No.  523).  All  these  heavenly  courtiers  passed  along 
in  visible  human  forms,  so  beautiful  and  shining,  that  in 
comparison  with  them,  all  that  is  delightful  or  precious  in 
the  world,  is  less  than  dirt  or  mud  compared  to  the  finest 
and  purest  gold;  and  in  their  splendor  they  obliterated 
the  sun  in  its  brightest  light  and  would  have  turned 


500  CITY   OF   GOD 

night  into  the  brightest  day.  The  heavenly  Queen  and 
saint  Joseph  rejoiced  in  their  effulgence,  while  all  of  them 
together  exalted  these  mysteries  by  new  canticles  of  praise 
in  honor  of  the  divine  Child  about  to  be  presented  in 
the  temple.  In  this  fashion  they  journeyed  the  two 
leagues  from  Bethlehem  to  Jerusalem. 

590.  On  this  occasion,  not  without  divine  dispensation, 
the  weather  was  unusually  severe,  so  that,  without  regard 
for  the  tender  Child,  its  Creator,  the  cold  and  sleety 
blasts  pierced  to  his  shivering  limbs  and  caused  the  divine 
Infant  to  weep  as  it  rested  in  the  arms  of  his  loving 
Mother,  being  however  moved  thereto  more  by  his  com- 
passion and  love  for  men  than  by  the  effects  of  the  in- 
clemency of  the  weather  upon  his  body.  The  mighty 
Empress  turned  to  the  winds  and  elements  and  as  Mis- 
tress of  creation  reprehended  them  with  indignation,  that 
they  should  thus  persecute  their  Maker.  She  commanded 
them  to  moderate  their  rigor  toward  the  Child  but  not 
toward  Her.  The  elements  obeyed  the  commands  of 
their  true  and  rightful  Mistress:  the  cold  blasts  were 
changed  into  a  soft  and  balmy  air  for  the  Infant,  without 
diminishing  their  inclemency  toward  the  Mother;  thus 
She  herself  felt  it,  but  not  her  Infant,  as  on  other  occa- 
sions already  mentioned  and  yet  to  be  mentioned.  She 
addressed  also  sin,  which  She  had  not  contracted,  and 
said :  "O  sin,  how  most  disorderly  and  inhuman  art  thou, 
since,  in  order  to  satisfy  for  thee,  the  Creator  of  all 
things  is  afflicted  by  the  very  creatures,  which  He  has 
made  and  preserves  in  being!  Thou  art  a  terrible  and 
horrible  monster,  offensive  to  God  and  destructive  of 
creatures;  thou  turnest  them  into  abominations  and  de- 
privest  them  of  their  greatest  happiness,  that  of  being 
friends  of  God.  O  children  of  men,  how  long  will  you 
be  so  heavy-hearted  as  to  love  vanity  and  deceit?     Be 


THE   INCARNATION  501 

not  so  ungrateful  toward  the  Most  High  and  so  cruel 
to  yourselves.  Open  your  eyes  and  recognize  your  dan- 
gers. Do  not  despise  the  precepts  of  your  eternal  Father, 
and  do  not  forget  the  teachings  of  your  Mother,  who  has 
brought  you  forth  by  charity;  for  since  the  Onlybegot- 
ten  of  the  Father  has  assumed  flesh  in  my  womb,  He 
has  made  me  the  Mother  of  all  creation.  As  such  I  love 
you  and  if  it  were  possible  and  according  to  the  will  of 
the  Most  High,  that  I  suffer  all  the  punishments  visited 
upon  you  from  the  time  of  Adam  until  now,  I  would 
accept  them  with  pleasure." 

591.  During  the  journey  of  our  Lady  with  the  infant 
God,  it  happened  in  Jerusalem  that  Simeon,  the  high- 
priest,  was  enlightened  by  the  Holy  Ghost  concerning 
the  coming  of  the  incarnate  Ayord  and  his  presentation 
in  the  temple  on  the  arms  of  his  Mother.  The  same 
revelation  was  given  to  the  holy  widow  Anne,  and  she 
was  also  informed  of  the  poverty  and  suffering  of  saint 
Joseph  and  the  most  pure  Lady  on  their  way  to  Jeru- 
salem. These  two  holy  persons,  immediately  conferring 
with  each  other  about  their  revelations  and  enlighten- 
ments, called  the  chief  procurator  of  the  temporal  affairs 
of  the  temple,  and,  describing  to  him  the  signs,  whereby 
he  should  recognize  the  holy  Travelers,  they  ordered  him 
to  proceed  to  the  gate  leading  out  to  Bethlehem  and  re- 
ceive them  into  his  house  with  all  benevolence  and  hos- 
pitality. This  the  procurator  did  and  thus  the  Queen 
and  her  spouse  were  much  relieved,  since  they  had  been 
anxious  about  finding  a  proper  lodging  for  the  divine 
Infant.  Leaving  Them  well  provided  in  his  house,  the 
fortunate  host  returned  in  order  to  report  to  the  high- 
priest. 

592.  On  that  evening,  before  they  retired,  most  holy 
Mary  and  Joseph  conferred  with  each  other  about  what 


502  CITY   OF    GOD 

they  were  to  do.  The  most  prudent  Lady  reminded 
him  that  it  was  better  to  bring  the  gifts  of  the  Kings 
on  that  same  evening  to  the  temple  in  order  to  be  able 
to  make  the  offering  in  silence  and  without  noisy  demon- 
stration, as  was  proper  with  all  donations  and  sacrifices, 
and  that  on  the  way  he  might  procure  the  two  turtle- 
doves, which  on  the  next  day  were  to  be  the  public  offer- 
ing for  the  Infant  Jesus.  Saint  Joseph  complied  with  her 
request.  As  a  stranger  and  one  little  known  he  gave  the 
myrrh,  incense  and  gold  to  the  one  who  usually  received 
such  gifts  for  the  temple,  but  saint  Joseph  took  care  not 
to  reveal  himself  to  any  one  as  the  donor  of  these  great 
presents.  Although  he  could  have  bought  the  lamb, 
which  the  rich  usually  offered  for  their  first-born,  he 
chose  not  to  do  so ;  because  the  humble  and  poor  apparel 
of  the  Mother  and  the  Child  as  well  as  of  the  husband, 
would  not  have  agreed  with  a  public  offering  as  valuable 
as  that  of  the  rich  (Matth.  8,  20).  In  no  particular  did 
the  Mother  of  wisdom  deem  it  befitting  to  depart  from 
poverty  and  humility,  even  under  the  cover  of  a  pious 
and  honorable  intention.  For  in  all  things  was  She  the 
Teacher  of  perfection,  and  her  most  holy  Son,  that  of 
holy  poverty,  in  which  He  was  born,  lived  and  died. 

593.  Simeon,  as  saint  Luke  tells  us,  was  a  just  and 
god-fearing  man  and  was  hoping  in  the  consolation  of 
Israel  (Luke  2,  24)  ;  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  dwelt  in  him, 
had  revealed  to  him,  that  he  should  not  taste  death  until 
he  had  seen  the  Christ,  the  Lord.  Moved  by  the  holy 
Spirit  he  came  to  the  temple;  for  in  that  night,  besides 
the  revelations  he  had  already  received,  he  was  ag^in 
divinely  enlightened  and  made  to  understand  more  clearly 
the  mysteries  of  the  Incarnation  and  Redemption  of  man, 
the  fulfillment  of  the  prophecies  of  Isaias,  that  a  Virgin 
should  conceive  and  bear  a  Son  and  that  from  the  root 


THE    INCARNATION  503 

of  Jesse  a  flower  should  blossom,  namely  Christ  (Is.  7, 
14)  ;  likewise  all  the  rest  contained  in  these  and  other 
prophecies.  He  received  a  clear  understanding  of  the 
hypostatic  union  of  the  two  natures  in  the  person  of 
the  Word,  and  of  the  mysteries  of  the  passion  and  death 
of  the  Redeemer.  Thus  instructed  in  these  two  high 
things,  saint  Simeon  was  lifted  up  and  inflamed  with 
the  desire  of  seeing  the  Redeemer  of  the  world.  On  the 
following  day  then,  as  soon  as  he  had  received  notice 
that  Christ  was  coming  to  present  Himself  in  the  temple 
to  the  Father,  he  was  carried  in  spirit  to  the  temple,  for 
so  great  is  the  force  of  divine  enlightenment.  Whereupon 
succeeded  that,  which  I  shall  relate  in  the  following  chap- 
ter. Also  the  holy  matron  Anne  was  favored  with  a 
revelation  during  the  same  night  concerning  many  of 
these  mysteries  and  great  was  the  joy  of  her  spirit  on 
that  account ;  for,  as  I  have  said  in  the  first  part  of  this 
history,  she  had  been  the  teacher  of  our  Queen,  during 
her  stay  in  the  temple.  The  Evangelist  tells  us  that  She 
never  left  the  temple-grounds  serving  in  it  day  and  night 
in  prayer  and  fasting  (Luke  1,  27)  ;  that  she  was  a 
prophetess,  daughter  of  Samuel,  of  the  tribe  of  Aser. 
She  had  lived  seven  years  with  her  husband  and  was 
now  eighty  years  old.  As  will  be  seen,  she  spoke  pro- 
phetically of  the  Child's  future. 

INSTRUCTION   WHICH  THE  QUEEN  OE  HEAVEN   GAVE   ME. 

594.  My  daughter,  one  of  the  misfortunes,  which  de- 
prive souls  of  happiness,  or  at  least  diminish  it,  is  that 
they  content  themselves  with  performing  good  works 
negligently  or  without  fervor,  as  if  they  were  engaged 
in  things  unimportant  or  merely  accidental.  On  account 
of  this  ignorance  and  meanness  of  heart  few  of  them 


504  CITY   OF   GOD 

arrive  at  an  intimate  friendship  of  God,  which  they  can 
attain  only  by  fervent  love.  This  is  called  fervent  pre- 
cisely because  of  its  similarity  to  boiling  water.  For  just 
as  water  is  made  to  boil  and  foam  by  the  fire,  so  the 
soul,  by  the  sweet  violence  of  the  divine  conflagra- 
tion of  love,  is  raised  above  itself  and  above  all  created 
things  as  well  as  above  its  own  doings.  In  loving,  it  is 
more  and  more  inflamed,  and  from  this  very  love  springs 
an  unquenchable  affection,  which  makes  the  soul  despise 
and  forget  all  earthly  things  while  at  the  same  time  it 
becomes  dissatisfied  with  all  temporal  goodness.  And 
as  the  human  heart,  when  it  does  not  attain  what  it 
dearly  loves  (if  that  attainment  is  possible)  is  inflamed 
with  ever  greater  desire  of  reaching  it  by  other  means; 
therefore,  the  loving  soul,  finds  ever  new  things  to  strive 
after  for  the  sake  of  the  Beloved  and  all  service  will  seem 
to  it  but  little.  Thus  it  will  pass  from  good  will  to  a 
perfect  will,  and  from  this  to  what  will  please  the  Lord 
still  more,  until  it  arrives  at  the  most  intimate  union 
with  Him  and  at  a  perfect  conformation  with  the  will  of 
God. 

595.  Hence  thou  wilt  understand,  my  dearest,  why  I 
desired  to  go  barefooted  to  the  temple,  carrying  at  the 
same  time  my  most  holy  Son  in  order  to  present  Him 
there;  and  why  I  also  wished  to  comply  with  the  law 
of  the  purification ;  for,  urged  on  by  my  love,  which  in- 
cessantly demanded  what  was  most  perfect  and  agree- 
able to  the  Lord,  I  sought  the  fullness  of  perfection  in  all 
my  doings  and  it  was  precisely  this  anxiety,  which 
created  in  me  such  a  desire  of  excellence  in  all  my 
works.  Labor  to  imitate  me  with  all  diligence  in  all 
that  I  did ;  for  I  assure  thee,  my  dear,  that  it  is  this  exer- 
cise of  thy  love,  which  the  Most  High  is  desiring  and  ex- 
pecting of  thee,  and,  as  is  mentioned  by  the  spouse  in  the 


THE   INCARNATION  505 

Canticles  (Cant.  2,  9),  He  is  watching  thee  so  close  at 
hand,  that  not  more  than  a  slight  screen  intervenes  be- 
tween the  soul  and  its  vision  of  the  Lord.  Enamoured 
and  drawn  onward  He  approaches  closely  to  those  souls, 
who  thus  love  and  serve  Him  in  all  things,  while  He 
withdraws  from  the  lukewarm  and  negligent  ones,  or 
deals  with  them  only  according  to  the  general  rules  of  his 
divine  Providence.  Do  thou  aspire  continually  to  the 
most  pure  and  perfect  in  the  practice  of  virtues  and  study 
and  invent  new  schemes  and  projects  of  love;  so  that  all 
the  forces  of  thy  interior  and  exterior  faculties  continue 
to  be  zealously  occupied  in  what  is  most  exalted  and  ex- 
cellent in  the  service  of  the  Lord.  At  the  same  time 
mention  all  these  affections  to  thy  spiritual  father  and 
subject  them  to  the  obedience  and  advice  of  thy  counselor, 
following  his  instructions :  for  this  will  always  be  the  most 
preferable  and  secure  way. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  PRESENTATION  OE  THE  INEANT  JESUS  IN  THE  TEMPLE 
AND  WHAT  HAPPENED  ON  THAT  OCCASION. 

596.  The  sacred  humanity  of  Christ  belonged  to  the 
eternal  Father  not  only  because  it  was  created  like  other 
beings,  but  it  was  his  special  property  by  virtue  of  the 
hypostatic  union  with  the  person  of  the  Word,  for  this 
person  of  the  Word,  being  his  Onlybegotten  Son, 
was  engendered  of  his  substance,  true  God  of  true  God. 
Nevertheless  the  eternal  Father  had  decreed,  that  his 
Son  should  be  presented  to  Him  in  the  temple  in  mys- 
terious compliance  with  the  law,  of  which  Christ  our 
Ivord  was  the  end  (Rom.  10,  4).  It  was  established 
for  no  other  purpose  than  that  the  just  men  of  the 
old  Testament  should  perpetually  sanctify  and  offer  to 
the  Lord  their  first-born  sons,  in  the  hope  that  one 
thus  presented  might  prove  to  be  the  Son  of  God 
and  a  Child  of  the  Mother  of  the  expected  Messias  (Exod. 
13,  2).  According  to  our  way  of  thinking  his  Majesty 
acted  like  men,  who  are  apt  to  repeat  and  enjoy  over  and 
over  again  a  thing  which  has  caused  them  enjoyment. 
For  although  the  Father  understood  and  knew  all  things 
in  his  infinite  wisdom,  He  sought  pleasure  in  the  offer- 
ing of  the  incarnate  Word,  which  by  so  many  titles  al- 
ready belonged  to  Him. 

597.  This  will  of  the  eternal  Father,  which  was  con- 
formable to  that  of  his  Son  in  so  far  as  He  was  God,  was 
known  to  the  Mother  of  life  and  of  the  human  nature 
of  the  Word;  for  She  saw  that  all  his  interior  actions 

506 


THE    INCARNATION  507 

were  in  unison  with  the  will  of  his  eternal  Father.  Full 
of  this  holy  science  the  great  Princess  passed  the  night 
before  his  presentation  in  the  temple  in  divine  colloquies. 
Speaking  to  the  Father  She  said:  "My  Lord  and  God 
most  high,  Father  of  my  Lord,  a  festive  day  for  heaven 
and  earth  will  be  that,  in  which  I  shall  bring  and  offer 
to  Thee  in  thy  holy  temple  the  living  Host,  which  is 
at  the  same  time  the  Treasure  of  thy  Divinity.  Rich,  O 
my  Lord  and  God,  is  this  oblation;  and  Thou  canst  well 
pour  forth,  in  return  for  it,  thy  mercies  upon  the  human 
race:  pardoning  the  sinners,  that  have  turned  from  the 
straight  path,  consoling  the  afflicted,  helping  the  needy, 
enriching  the  poor,  succoring  the  weak,  enlightening  the 
blind,  and  meeting  those  who  have  strayed  away.  This 
is,  my  Lord,  what  I  ask  of  thee  in  offering  to  Thee  thy 
Onlybegotten,  who,  by  thy  merciful  condescension  is  also 
my  Son.  If  Thou  hast  given  Him  to  me  as  a  God,  I  re- 
turn Him  to  Thee  as  God  and  man;  his  value  is  infinite, 
and  what  I  ask  of  Thee  is  much  less.  In  opulence  do  I 
return  to  thy  holy  temple,  from  which  I  departed  poor; 
and  my  soul  shall  magnify  Thee  forever,  because  thy 
divine  right  hand  has  shown  itself  toward  me  so  liberal 
and  powerful." 

598.  On  the  next  morning,  the  Sun  of  heaven  being 
now  ready  to  issue  from  its  purest  dawning,  the  Virgin 
Mary,  on  whose  arms  He  reclined,  and  being  about  to  rise 
up  in  full  view  of  the  world,  the  heavenly  Lady,  hav- 
ing provided  the  turtle-dove  and  two  candles,  wrapped 
Him  in  swaddling-clothes  and  betook  Herself  with  saint 
Joseph  from  their  lodging  to  the  temple.  The  holy  angels, 
who  had  come  with  them  from  Bethlehem,  again  formed 
in  procession  in  corporeal  and  most  beautiful  forms,  just 
as  has  been  said  concerning  the  journey  of  the  preced- 
ing day.    On  this  occasion  however  the  holy  spirits  added 


508  CITY   OF   GOD 

many  other  hymns  of  the  sweetest  and  most  entrancing 
harmony  in  honor  of  the  infant  God,  which  were  heard 
only  by  the  most  pure  Mary.  Besides  the  ten  thousand, 
who  had  formed  the  procession  on  the  previous  day,  in- 
numerable others  descended  from  heaven,  who,  accom- 
panied by  those  that  bore  the  shields  of  the  holy  name 
of  Jesus,  formed  the  guard  of  honor  of  the  incarnate 
Word  on  the  occasion  of  his  presentation.  These  how- 
ever were  not  in  corporeal  shapes  and  only  the  heavenly 
Princess  perceived  their  presence.  Having  arrived  at  the 
temple-gate,  the  most  blessed  Mother  was  filled  with  new 
and  exalted  sentiments  of  devotion.  Joining  the  other 
women.  She  bowed  and  knelt  to  adore  the  Lord  in  spirit 
and  in  truth  in  his  holy  temple  and  She  presented  Her- 
self before  the  exalted  Majesty  of  God  with  his  Son 
upon  her  arms  (John  4,  23).  Immediately  She  was 
immersed  in  an  intellectual  vision  of  the  most  holy 
Trinity  and  She  heard  a  voice  issuing  from  the  eternal 
Father,  saying:  "This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I 
am  well  pleased"  (Matth.  27,  20).  Saint  Joseph,  the 
most  fortunate  of  men,  felt  at  the  same  time  a  new 
sweetness  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  filled  him  with  joy 
and  divine  light. 

599.  The  holy  high-priest  Simeon,  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  as  explained  in  the  preceding  chapter,  also  entered 
the  temple  at  that  time  (Luke  2,  27).  Approaching  the 
place  where  the  Queen  stood  with  the  Infant  Jesus  in 
her  arms,  he  saw  both  Mother  and  Child  enveloped  in 
splendor  and  glory.  The  prophetess  Anne,  who,  as  the 
Evangelist  says,  had  come  at  the  same  hour,  also  saw 
Mary  and  her  Infant  surrounded  by  this  wonderful  light. 
In  the  joy  of  their  spirit  both  of  them  approached  the 
Queen  of  heaven,  and  the  priest  received  the  Infant  Jesus 
from  her  arms  upon  his  hands.     Raising  up  his  eyes  to 


THE    INCARNATION  509 

heaven  he  offered  Him  up  to  the  eternal  Father,  pro- 
nouncing at  the  same  time  these  words  so  full  of  mys- 
teries: "Now  dost  thou  dismiss  thy  servant,  O  Lord,  ac- 
cording to  thy  Word  in  peace.  Because  my  eyes  have 
seen  thy  salvation,  which  thou  hast  prepared  before  the 
face  of  all  peoples :  a  light  for  the  revelation  of  the  gen- 
tiles, and  the  glory  of  thy  people  Israel"  (Luke  2,  29). 
It  was  as  if  He  had  said:  "Now,  Lord,  thou  wilt  release 
me  from  the  bondage  of  this  mortal  body  and  let  me  go 
free  and  in  peace ;  for  until  now  have  I  been  detained  in 
it  by  the  hope  of  seeing  thy  promises  fulfilled  and  by  the 
desire  of  seeing  thy  Onlybegotten  made  man.  Now  that 
my  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation,  the  Onlybegotten  made 
man,  joined  to  our  nature  in  order  to  give  it  eternal  wel- 
fare according  to  the  intention  and  eternal  decree  of  thy 
infinite  wisdom  and  mercy,  I  shall  enjoy  true  and  secure 
peace.  Now,  O  Lord,  Thou  hast  prepared  and  placed 
before  all  mortals  thy  divine  light  that  it  may  shine  upon 
the  world  and  that  all  who  wish  may  enjoy  it  through- 
out the  universe  and  derive  therefrom  guidance  and  sal- 
vation. For  this  is  the  light  which  is  revealed  to  the 
gentiles  for  the  glory  of  thy  chosen  people  of  Israel" 
(JohnI,  9,  32). 

600.  Most  holy  Mary  and  saint  Joseph  heard  this  can- 
ticle of  Simeon,  wondering  at  the  exalted  revelation  it 
contained.  The  Evangelist  calls  them  in  this  place  the 
parents  of  the  divine  Infant,  for  such  they  were  in  the 
estimation  of  the  people  who  were  present  at  this  event. 
Simeon,  addressing  himself  to  the  most  holy  Mother  of 
the  Infant  Jesus,  then  added :  "Behold  this  Child  is  set 
for  the  fall  and  for  the  resurrection  of  many  in  Israel, 
and  for  a  sign  which  shall  be  contradicted.  And  thy  own 
soul  a  sword  shall  pierce,  that  out  of  many  hearts  thoughts 
may  be  revealed."    Thus  saint  Simeon ;  and  being  a  priest 

2-34 


510  CITY   OF    GOD 

he  gave  his  blessing  to  the  happy  parents  of  the  Child. 
Then  also  the  prophetess  Anne  acknowledged  the  incar- 
nate Word,  and  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  she  spoke  of  the 
mysteries  of  the  Messias  to  many,  who  were  expecting 
the  redemption  of  Israel.  By  these  two  holy  old  people 
public  testimony  of  the  coming  of  the  Redeemer  was 
given  to  the  world. 

601,  At  the  moment  when  the  priest  Simeon  men- 
tioned the  sword  and  the  sign  of  contradiction,  which 
were  prophetical  of  the  passion  and  death  of  the  Lord, 
the  Child  bowed  its  head.  Thereby,  and  by  many  in- 
terior acts  of  obedience,  Jesus  ratified  the  prophecy  of 
the  priest  and  accepted  it  as  the  sentence  of  the  eternal 
Father  pronounced  by  his  minister.  All  this  the  loving 
Mother  noticed  and  understood;  She  presently  began  to 
feel  the  sorrow  predicted  by  Simeon  and  thus  in  ad- 
vance was  She  wounded  by  the  sword,  of  which  She 
had  thus  been  warned.  As  in  a  mirror  her  spirit  was 
made  to  see  all  the  mysteries  included  in  this  prophecy; 
how  her  most  holy  Son  was  to  be  the  stone  of  stumbling, 
the  perdition  of  the  unbelievers,  and  the  salvation  of  the 
faithful ;  the  fall  of  the  synagogue  and  the  establishment 
of  the  Church  among  the  heathens;  She  foresaw  the 
triumph  to  be  gained  over  the  devils  and  over  death,  but 
also  that  a  great  price  was  to  be  paid  for  it,  namely  the 
frightful  agony  and  death  of  the  Cross  (Colos.  2,  15). 
She  foresaw  the  boundless  opposition  and  contradiction, 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  was  to  sustain  both  personally 
and  in  his  Church  (John  15,  20).  At  the  same  time 
She  also  saw  the  glory  and  excellence  of  the  predestined 
souls.  Most  holy  Mary  knew  it  all  and  in  the  joy  and  sor- 
row of  her  most  pure  soul,  excited  by  the  prophecies  of 
Simeon  and  these  hidden  mysteries,  She  performed  heroic 
acts  of  virtue.     All  these  sayings  and  happenings  were 


THE   INCARNATION  511 

indelibly  impressed  upon  her  memory,  and,  of  all  that 
She  understood  and  experienced.  She  forgot  not  the  least 
iota.  At  all  times  She  looked  upon  her  most  holy  Son 
with  such  a  living  sorrow,  as  we,  mere  human  creatures 
with  hearts  so  full  of  ingratitude,  shall  never  be  able  to 
feel.  The  holy  spouse  saint  Joseph  was  by  these  prophe- 
cies also  made  to  see  many  of  the  mysteries  of  the  Re- 
demption and  of  the  labors  and  sufferings  of  Jesus.  But 
the  Lord  did  not  reveal  them  to  him  so  copiously  and 
openly  as  they  were  perceived  and  understood  by  his 
heavenly  spouse;  for  in  him  these  revelations  were  to 
serve  a  different  purpose,  and  besides,  saint  Joseph  was 
not  to  be  an  eye-witness  of  them  during  his  mortal  life. 
602.  The  ceremony  of  the  presentation  thus  being  over, 
the  great  Lady  kissed  the  hand  of  the  priest  and  again 
asked  his  blessing.  The  same  She  did  also  to  Anne,  her 
former  teacher;  for  her  dignity  as  Mother  of  God,  the 
highest  possible  to  angels  or  men,  did  not  prevent  Her 
from  these  acts  of  deepest  humility.  Then,  in  the  com- 
pany of  saint  Joseph,  her  spouse,  and  of  the  fourteen 
thousand  angels  in  procession.  She  returned  with  the 
divine  Infant  to  her  lodging.  They  remained,  as  I  shall 
relate  farther  on,  for  some  days  in  Jerusalem,  in  order 
to  satisfy  their  devotion  and  during  that  time  She  spoke 
a  few  times  with  the  priest  about  the  mysteries  of  the 
Redemption  and  of  the  prophecies  above  mentioned.  Al- 
though the  words  of  the  most  prudent  Virgin  Mother 
were  few,  measured  and  reserved,  they  were  also  so 
weighty  and  full  of  wisdom,  that  they  filled  the  priest 
with  wonder  and  excited  in  him  the  most  exalted  and  the 
sweetest  sentiments  of  joy  in  his  soul.  The  same  hap- 
pened also  to  the  prophetess  Anne.  Both  of  them  died 
in  the  Lord  shortly  afterwards.  The  holy  Family 
lodged  at  the  expense  of  Simeon.     During  these  days 


512  CITY    OF    GOD 

the  Queen  frequented  the  temple  and  in  it  She  was  visited 
with  many  favors  and  consolations  in  recompense  for 
the  sorrow  caused  by  the  prophecies  of  the  priest.  In 
order  to  heighten  their  sweetness  her  most  holy  Son 
spoke  to  Her  on  one  of  these  days  saying:  "My  dearest 
Mother  and  my  Dove,  dry  up  thy  tears  and  let  thy  purest 
heart  be  expanded ;  since  it  is  the  will  of  my  Father,  that 
I  accept  the  death  of  the  Cross.  I  desire  that  Thou  be 
my  companion  in  my  labors  and  sufferings;  I  long  to 
undergo  them  for  the  souls,  who  are  the  works  of  my 
hands  (Ephes.  2,  10),  made  according  to  my  image  and 
likeness,  in  order  to  make  them  partakers  of  my  reign 
and  of  eternal  life  in  triumph  over  my  enemies  (Coloss. 
2,  15).  This  is  what  Thou  thyself  dost  wish  in  union 
with  Me."  The  Mother  answered :  "O  my  sweetest  Love 
and  Son  of  my  womb,  if  my  accompanying  Thee  shall 
include  not  only  the  privilege  of  witnessing  and  pitying 
thy  sufferings,  but  also  of  dying  with  Thee,  so  much  the 
greater  will  be  my  relief ;  for  it  will  be  a  greater  suffering 
for  me  to  live,  while  seeing  Thee  die."  In  these  exer- 
cises of  love  and  compassion  She  passed  some  days, 
until  saint  Joseph  was  advised  to  fly  into  Egypt,  as  I 
shall  relate  in  the  following  chapter. 

INSTRUCTION  WHICH  THB  MOST  H0I.Y  QUEEN  MARY 
GAVE   ME. 

603.  My  daughter,  the  doctrine  and  example  contained 
in  the  foregoing  chapter  will  teach  thee  to  strive  after 
the  constancy  and  expansion  of  heart,  by  which  thou 
mayest  prepare  thyself  to  accept  blessings  and  adversity, 
the  sweet  and  the  bitter  with  equanimity.  O  dearest 
soul!  How  narrow  and  unwilling  is  the  human  heart 
toward  that  which  is  contrary  and  distasteful  to  its  earthly 


THE   INCARNATION  513 

inclinations!  How  it  chafes  in  labors!  How  impatiently 
it  meets  them!  How  insufferable  it  deems  all  that  is 
contrary  to  its  desires !  How  persistently  it  forgets,  that 
its  Teacher  and  Master  has  first  accepted  sufferings,  and 
has  honored  and  sanctified  them  in  his  own  Person!  It 
is  a  great  shame,  yea  a  great  boldness,  on  the  part  of  the 
faithful,  that  they  should  abhor  suffering,  even  after  my 
most  holy  Son  did  suffer  for  them  and  when  so  many  of 
the  just  before  his  Death  were  led  to  embrace  the  cross 
solely  by  the  hope  that  Christ  would  once  suffer  upon 
it,  although  they  would  never  live  to  see  it.  And  if  this 
want  of  correspondence  is  so  base  in  others,  consider  well, 
my  dearest,  how  vile  it  would  be  in  thee,  who  art  so 
anxious  to  obtain  the  grace  and  the  friendship  of  the 
Most  High;  who  desirest  to  merit  the  name  of  a  spouse 
and  friend  of  God,  who  wishest  to  belong  entirely  to  Him 
and  that  He  belong  entirely  to  thee,  who  wishest  to  be 
my  disciple  and  that  I  be  thy  Teacher,  who  aspirest  to 
follow  and  imitate  me,  as  a  faithful  daughter  her  mother 
(Matth.  7,  21).  All  this  must  not  result  in  mere  senti- 
ment and  in  empty  words,  or  oft-repeated  exclamations 
of :  Lord,  Lord ;  and,  when  the  occasion  of  tasting  the 
chalice  and  the  cross  of  suffering  is  at  hand,  thou  must  not 
turn  away  in  sorrow  and  affliction  from  the  sufferings,  by 
which  the  sincerity  of  a  loving  and  affectionate  heart 
is  to  be  tried. 

604.  All  this  would  be  denying  in  your  actions,  what 
you  profess  in  your  words,  and  it  would  be  a  swerving 
from  the  path  of  eternal  life:  for  thou  canst  not  follow 
Christ,  if  thou  refusest  to  embrace  the  cross  and  re- 
joice in  it,  nor  shalt  thou  find  me  by  any  other  way 
(Matth.  8,  34).  If  creatures  fail  thee,  if  temptation  or 
trouble  assail  thee,  if  the  sorrows  of  death  encompass 
thee  (Ps.  17,  5),  thou  must  in  no  wise  be  disturbed  or 


514  CITY   OF   GOD 

disheartened ;  since  nothing  displeases  my  most  holy  Son 
or  me  more  than  placing  a  hindrance  or  misapplying  the 
grace  given  by  Him  for  thy  defense.  By  misusing  it  and 
receiving  it  in  vain,  thou  yieldest  great  victory  to  the 
demon,  who  glories  much  in  having  disturbed  or  subjected 
any  soul  that  calls  itself  a  disciple  of  Christ  and  of  me; 
and  having  once  brought  thee  to  default  in  small  things, 
he  will  soon  oppress  thee  in  greater  ones.  Confide  then 
in  the  protection  of  the  Most  High  and  press  onward 
trusting  in  me.  Full  of  this  trust,  whenever  tribulation 
comes  over  thee,  fervently  exclaim:  "The  Lord  is  my 
light  and  my  salvation,  whom  shall  I  fear?  (Psalm  26, 
1 ) .  He  is  my  Helper,  why  should  I  hesitate  ?  I  have  a 
Mother,  a  Queen  and  Mistress,  who  will  assist  me  and 
take  care  of  me  in  my  affliction." 

605.  In  this  security  seek  to  preserve  interior  peace  and 
keep  forever  in  thy  view  my  works  and  my  footsteps 
for  thy  imitation.  Remember  the  sorrow,  which  pierced 
my  heart  at  the  prophecies  of  Simeon,  and  how  I  re- 
mained in  peace  and  tranquillity,  without  any  sign  of 
disturbance,  although  my  heart  and  soul  were  trans- 
fixed by  a  sword  of  pain.  In  every  event  I  sought  mo- 
tives for  glorifying  and  adoring  his  admirable  wisdom. 
If  the  transitory  labors  and  sufferings  are  accepted  with 
joy  and  with  serenity  of  heart,  they  spiritualize  the  crea- 
ture, they  elevate  it  and  furnish  it  with  a  divine  insight; 
by  which  the  soul  begins  to  esteem  affliction  at  its  proper 
value  and  soon  finds  consolation  and  the  blessings  of 
mortification  and  of  freedom  from  disorderly  passions. 
This  is  the  teaching  of  *the  school  of  the  Redeemer, 
hidden  from  those  living  in  Babylon  and  from  those  who 
love  vanity  (Matth.  11,  25).  I  wish  also  that  thou  imitate 
me  in  respecting  the  priests  and  ministers  of  the  Lord, 
who  in  the  new  law  hold  a  much  higher  dignity  than  in 


THE   INCARNATION  515 

the  old,  since  the  divine  Word  has  now  united  Itself  with 
human  nature  and  become  the  eternal  High-Priest  ac- 
cording to  the  order  of  Melchisedech  (Ps.  109,  4).  Listen 
to  their  words  and  instructions,  as  God  requires,  whose 
place  they  take.  Consider  the  power  and  authority  given 
them  in  the  Gospels,  where  it  is  said:  "Who  hears  you, 
hears  Me;  who  obeys  you  obeys  Me"  (Luke  10,  16). 
Strive  after  the  perfection  they  teach  thee.  Ponder  and 
meditate  without  intermission  upon  that,  which  my  most 
holy  Son  suffered,  so  that  thy  soul  be  a  participant  in  his 
sorrows.  Let  the  pious  memory  of  his  sufferings  en- 
gender in  thee  such  a  disgust  and  abhorrence  of  all  earthly 
pleasures  that  thou  despise  and  forget  all  that  is  visible, 
and  instead,  follow  the  Author  of  eternal  life. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

run  IX)RD  PREPARES  THE  MOST  HOIvY  MARY  EOR  THE 
FLIGHT  INTO  EGYPT;  THE  ANGEE  SPEAKS  TO  SAINT 
JOSEPH;  AND  OTHER  MATTERS  CONNECTED  THERE- 
WITH. 

606.  When  the  most  holy  Mary  and  glorious  saint 
Joseph  returned  from  the  presentation  of  the  Infant 
Jesus  in  the  temple,  they  concluded  to  stay  in  Jerusalem 
for  nine  days  in  order  to  be  able  each  day  to  visit  the 
temple  and  repeat  the  offering  of  the  sacred  Victim,  their 
divine  Son,  thus  rendering  fitting  thanks  for  the  im- 
mense blessing  for  which  they  had  been  singled  out  from 
among  all  men.  The  heavenly  Lady  had  a  special  venera- 
tion for  this  number  in  memory  of  the  nine  days,  during 
which  She  had  been  prepared  and  adorned  by  God  for  the 
incarnation  of  the  Word,  as  I  have  related  in  the  first 
ten  chapters  of  this  second  part;  also  in  memory  of  the 
nine  months,  during  which  She  had  borne  Jesus  in  her 
virginal  womb.  In  honor  of  these  events  She  wished 
to  make  this  novena  with  her  divine  Child,  presenting 
Him  that  many  times  to  the  eternal  Father  as  an  ac- 
ceptable offering  for  her  lofty  purposes.  They  began 
the  devotions  of  the  novena  every  day  before  the  third 
hour,  praying  in  the  temple  until  nightfall.  They  chose 
the  most  obscure  and  retired  place,  meriting  thereby  the 
invitation  of  the  master  of  the  banquet  in  the  Gospel: 
"Friend,  go  up  higher"  (Luke  14,  10).  This  invitation 
was  given  to  Her,  on  one  of  those  days,  when  She  was 

516 


THE    INCARNATION  517 

pouring"  out  her  spirit  in  the  presence  of  the  eternal 
Father  in  the  following  words: 

607.  "Highest  King,  Lord  and  Creator  of  all  that  has 
being,  here  in  thy  presence  lies  the  useless  dust  and  ashes, 
which  thy  ineffable  condescension  has  favored  with  grace 
such  as  it  neither  knew,  nor  ever  could  know,  how  to 
merit.  I  find  myself,  O  Lord,  forced  onward  by  the 
impetuous  flood  of  thy  blessings  to  give  Thee  thanks. 
But  what  return  can  she  offer,  who,  being  nothing,  has 
received  her  existence  and  her  life  from  Thee,  and  who 
over  and  above  was  overwhelmed  by  such  incomparable 
mercies  and  blessings  of  thy  Divinity?  What  thanks  can 
she  render  in  acknowledgment  of  thy  immense  bounty? 
What  reverence  worthy  of  thy  Majesty?  What  gift  to 
thy  infinite  Deity,  since  She  is  only  a  creature  ?  My  soul, 
my  being",  and  my  faculties,  all  have  I  received  and  con- 
tinue to  receive  from  thy  hands.  A  thousand  times  do 
I  offer  it  in  sacrifice  to  thy  glory.  I  acknowledge  my 
indebtedness,  not  only  for  having  given  me  all  this,  but 
for  the  love  with  which  Thou  hast  given  it,  and  because 
among  all  creatures,  thy  infinite  bounty  has  preserved  me 
from  the  contagion  of  sin  and  has  chosen  me  to  give  hu- 
man form  to  thy  Onlybegotten  Son,  to  bear  Him  in  my 
womb  and  at  my  breast,  though  I  am  only  a  daughter 
of  Adam  and  made  of  lowly  and  earthly  matter.  I  per- 
ceive thy  ineffable  condescension  toward  me,  O  Lord,  and 
in  gratitude  for  it  my  heart  fails  and  my  life  is  spent  in 
affections  of  divine  love,  having  nothing  else  to  repay  all 
the  favors  of  thy  right  hand  conferred  upon  thy  hand- 
maid. But  now  my  heart  is  revived  and  rejoices  in  pos- 
sessing" a  gift  worthy  of  thy  greatness,  since  I  can  offer 
Thee  Him,  who  is  one  in  substance  with  Thee,  equal  in 
majesty,  and  perfection  of  attributes,  the  Onlybegotten 
of  thy  intellect,  the  image  of  thy  being,  the  fullness  of 


518  CITY    OF    GOD 

thy  own  pleasure,  thy  only  and  most  beloved  Son.  This, 
eternal  Father  and  Most  High  God,  is  the  gift,  which 
I  offer,  the  Victim  which  I  bring  Thee,  and  this  I  am  sure 
Thou  wilt  receive.  Having  received  Him  as  God,  I  re- 
turn Him  to  Thee  God  and  man.  Neither  I  nor  any 
other  creature,  O  Lord,  can  ever  offer  Thee  a  greater 
gift,  nor  can  thy  Majesty  ever  demand  one  more  precious. 
It  is  so  valuable,  that  it  will  suffice  to  repay  Thee  for 
what  I  have  received.  In  his  name  and  in  mine  I  offer 
and  present  Him  to  Thee.  I  am  the  Mother  of  thy  Only- 
begotten,  having  given  Him  human  flesh,  I  have  made 
Him  the  Brother  of  mortals,  and  as  He  wishes  to  be  their 
Redeemer  and  Teacher,  it  behooves  me  to  be  their  ad- 
vocate, to  assume  their  cause  and  claim  assistance  for 
them.  Therefore,  Father  of  my  Onlybegotten,  God  of 
mercies,  I  offer  Him  to  Thee  from  all  my  heart;  with 
Him  and  because  of  Him  I  beg  Thee  to  pardon  sinners, 
to  pour  out  upon  the  human  race  thy  mercies  of  old  and 
to  open  new  fountains  for  the  renewal  of  thy  wonders 
(Eccli.  38,  6).  This  is  the  Lion  of  Juda  become  a  Lamb, 
which  takes  away  the  sins  of  the  world  (Apoc.  5,  5).  He 
is  the  treasure  of  thy  Divinity." 

608.  Such  prayers  and  petitions  the  Mother  of  piety 
offered  up  in  the  first  days  of  her  novena  in  the  temple. 
To  all  of  them  the  eternal  Father  responded,  accepting 
the  offering  of  his  Onlybegotten  as  a  pleasing  sacrifice, 
being  more  and  more  enamored  with  the  purity  of  his 
only  and  chosen  Daughter  and  looking  upon  her  sanctity 
with  benign  pleasure.  As  an  answer  to  her  petitions  He 
conceded  to  Her  new  and  great  privileges,  among  which 
was  also  this  one,  that,  as  long  as  the  world  should  last, 
She  should  obtain  all  that  She  would  ever  ask  for  her 
clients;  that  the  greatest  sinners,  if  they  availed  them- 
selves of  her  intercession,  should  find  salvation;  that  in 


THE   INCARNATION  519 

the  new  Church  and  law  of  the  Gospel  She  should  be  the 
Cooperatrix  and  Teacher  of  salvation  with  Christ  her 
most  holy  Son.  This  was  to  be  her  privilege  especially 
after  his  Ascension  into  heaven,  when  She  should  re- 
main, as  Queen  of  the  universe,  as  the  representative  and 
instrument  of  the  divine  power  on  earth.  This  I  will 
show  more  particularly  in  the  third  part  of  this  history. 
Many  other  favors  and  mysteries  the  Most  High  con- 
firmed upon  the  heavenly  Mother  in  answer  to  her  pray- 
ers. They,  however,  are  beyond  the  reach  of  spoken 
language,  and  cannot  be  described  by  my  short  and 
limited  terms. 

609.  In  the  course  of  these  manifestations,  on  the  fifth 
day  of  the  no  vena  after  the  presentation  and  purifica- 
tion, while  the  heavenly  Lady  was  in  the  temple  with  the 
Infant  on  her  arms,  the  Deity  revealed  Itself  to  Her, 
although  not  intuitively,  and  She  was  wholly  raised  and 
filled  by  the  Spirit.  It  is  true,  that  this  had  been  done  to 
Her  before ;  but  as  God's  power  and  treasures  are  infinite, 
He  never  gives  so  much  as  not  to  be  able  to  give  still 
more  to  the  creatures.  In  this  abstractive  vision  the 
Most  High  visited  anew  his  only  Spouse,  wishing  to 
prepare  Her  for  the  labors,  that  were  awaiting  Her. 
Speaking  to  Her,  He  comforted  Her  saying:  "My  Spouse 
and  my  Dove,  thy  wishes  and  intentions  are  pleasing 
in  my  eyes  and  I  delight  in  them  always.  But  Thou 
canst  not  finish  the  nine  days'  devotion,  which  Thou  hast 
begun,  for  I  have  in  store  for  Thee  other  exercises  of 
Thy  love.  In  order  to  save  the  life  of  thy  Son  and  raise 
Him  up.  Thou  must  leave  thy  home  and  thy  country, 
fly  with  Him  and  thy  spouse  Joseph  into  Egypt,  where 
Thou  art  to  remain  until  I  shall  ordain  otherwise:  for 
Herod  is  seeking  the  life  of  the  Child.  The  journey  is 
long,  most  laborious  and  most  fatiguing;  do  thou  suffer 


520  CITY   OF   GOD 

it  all  for  my  sake;  for  I  iam,  and  always  will  be,  with 
Thee." 

610.  Any  other  faith  and  virtue  might  have  been  dis- 
turbed (as  the  incredulous  really  have  been)  to  see  the 
powerful  God  flying  from  a  miserable  earthly  being,  and 
that  He  should  do  so  in  order  to  save  his  life,  as  if  He, 
being  both  God  and  man,  could  be  affected  by  the  fear 
of  death.  But  the  most  prudent  and  obedient  Mother 
advanced  no  objection  or  doubt:  She  was  not  in  the 
least  disturbed  or  moved  by  this  unlooked  for  order. 
Answering,  She  said:  "My  Lord  and  Master,  behold 
thy  servant  with  a  heart  prepared  to  die  for  thy  love  if 
necessary.  Dispose  of  me  according  to  thy  will.  This 
only  do  I  ask  of  thy  immense  goodness,  that,  overlooking 
my  want  of  merit  and  gratitude.  Thou  permit  not  my 
Son  and  Lord  to  suffer,  and  that  Thou  turn  all  pains  and 
labor  upon  me,  who  am  obliged  to  suffer  them."  The 
Lord  referred  Her  to  saint  Joseph,  bidding  Her  to  fol- 
low his  directions  in  all  things  concerning  the  journey. 
Therewith  She  issued  from  her  vision,  which  She  had 
enjoyed  without  losing  the  use  of  her  exterior  senses  and 
while  holding  in  her  arms  the  Infant  Jesus.  She  had 
been  raised  up  in  this  vision  only  as  to  the  superior  part 
of  her  soul;  but  from  it  flowed  other  gifts,  which  spirit- 
ualized her  senses  and  testified  to  Her  that  her  soul  was 
living  more  in  its  love  than  in  the  earthly  habitation  of 
her  body. 

611.  On  account  of  the  incomparable  love,  which  the 
Queen  bore  toward  her  most  holy  Son,  her  maternal 
and  compassionate  heart  was  somewhat  harrowed  at  the 
thought  of  the  labors  which  She  foresaw  in  the  vision 
impending  upon  the  infant  God.  Shedding  many  tears, 
She  left  the  temple  to  go  to  her  lodging-place,  without 
manifesting  to  her  spouse  the  cause  of  her  sorrow.     Saint 


THE   INCARNATION  521 

Joseph  therefore  thought  that  She  grieved  on  account  of 
the  prophecy  of  Simeon.  As  the  most  faithful  Joseph 
loved  Her  so  much,  and  as  he  was  of  a  kind  and  solicitous 
disposition,  he  was  troubled  to  see  his  Spouse  so  tearful 
and  afflicted,  and  that  She  should  not  manifest  to  him 
the  cause  of  this  new  affliction.  This  disturbance  of  his 
soul  was  one  of  the  reasons  why  the  holy  angels  spoke 
to  him  in  sleep,  as  I  have  related  above,  when  speaking 
of  the  pregnancy  of  the  Queen.  For  in  the  same  night, 
while  saint  Joseph  was  asleep,  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
appeared  to  him,  and  spoke  to  him  as  recorded  by  saint 
Matthew:  "Arise,  take  the  Child  and  its  Mother  and 
fly  into  Egypt;  there  shalt  thou  remain  until  I  shall 
return  to  give  thee  other  advice;  for  Herod  is  seeking 
after  the  Child  in  order  to  take  away  its  life."  Imme- 
diately the  holy  spouse  arose  full  of  solicitude  and  sor- 
row, foreseeing  also  that  of  his  most  loving  Spouse. 
Entering  upon  her  retirement,  he  said :  "My  Lady,  God 
wills  that  we  should  be  afflicted;  for  his  holy  angel  has 
announced  to  me  the  pleasure  and  the  decree  of  the 
Almighty,  that  we  arise  and  fly  with  the  Child  into  Egypt, 
because  Herod  is  seeking  to  take  away  its  life.  Encour- 
age thyself,  my  Lady,  to  bear  the  labors  of  this  journey 
and  tell  me  what  I  can  do  for  thy  comfort,  since  I  hold 
my  life  and  being  at  the  service  of  thy  Child  and  of 
Thee." 

612.  "My  husband  and  my  master,"  answered  the 
Queen,  "if  we  have  received  from  the  hands  of  the  Most 
High  such  great  blessings  of  grace,  it  is  meet  that 
we  joyfully  accept  temporal  afflictions  (Job  2,  13).  We 
bear  with  us  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth ;  if  He  has 
placed  us  so  near  to  Him,  what  arms  shall  be  able  to 
harm  us,  even  if  it  be  the  arm  of  Herod?  Wherever  we 
carry  with  us  all  our  Good,  the  highest  treasure  of  heaven. 


522  CITY   OF   GOD 

our  Lord,  our  guide  and  true  light,  there  can  be  no  desert ; 
but  He  is  our  rest,  out  portion,  and  our  country.  All 
these  goods  we  possess  in  having  his  company;  let  us 
proceed  to  fulfill  his  will."  Then  most  holy  Mary  and 
Joseph  approached  the  crib  where  the  Infant  Jesus  lay; 
and  where  He,  not  by  chance,  slept  at  that  time.  The 
heavenly  Mother  uncovered  Him  without  awakening 
Him;  for  He  awaited  those  tender  and  sorrowful  words 
of  his  Beloved :  "Fly  away,  O  my  Beloved,  and  be  like  the 
roe  and  the  young  hart  upon  the  mountains  of  aromatical 
spices.  Come,  my  beloved,  let  us  go  forth  into  the  field, 
let  us  ride  in  the  villages"  (Cant.  8,  14;  7,  11).  And  the 
tender  Mother  added :  "Sweetest  Love,  meekest  Lamb, 
thy  power  is  not  limited  by  that  of  earthly  kings;  but 
Thou  wishest,  in  thy  exalted  wisdom,  to  hide  it  for  love 
of  men.  Who  among  mortals  can  think  of  taking  away 
thy  life,  O  my  God?  Is  it  not  in  thy  power  to  anni- 
hilate all  life?  Since  Thou  givest  life  to  all,  why  should 
men  take  away  thine?  (John  10,  10).  Since  Thou 
visited  them  in  order  to  give  them  eternal  life,  why  should 
they  wish  to  give  Thee  death?  But  who  shall  compre- 
hend the  secrets  of  thy  Providence?  (Rom.  11,  34). 
Allow  me,  then,  O  Lord  and  light  of  my  soul,  to  awaken 
Thee;  for  when  thou  sleepest  thy  heart  is  awake." 

613.  Some  such  sentiments  were  also  expressed  by 
saint  Joseph.  Then  the  heavenly  Mother,  falling  upon 
her  knees,  awakened  the  sweetest  Infant,  and  took  Him 
in  her  arms.  Jesus,  in  order  to  move  Her  to  greater 
tenderness  and  in  order  to  show  Himself  as  true  man, 
wept  a  little  (O  wonders  of  the  Most  High  in  things 
according  to  our  judgments  so  small)  !  Yet  He  was 
soon  again  quieted ;  and  when  the  most  holy  Mother  and 
saint  Joseph  asked  his  blessing  He  gave  it  them  in  visible 
manner.     Gathering  their  poor  clothing  into  the  casket 


THE   INCARNATION  523 

and  loading  it  on  the  beast  of  burden  which  they  had 
brought  from  Nazareth,  they  departed  shortly  after  mid- 
night, and  hastened  without  delay  on  their  journey  to 
Egypt,  as  I  will  relate  in  the  following  chapter. 

614.  I  will  here  add  what  I  have  been  made  to  under- 
stand as  to  the  concordance  of  the  two  Gospels  of  saint 
Matthew  and  saint  Luke  in  regard  to  this  event.  For, 
since  all  of  them  wrote  under  guidance  and  light  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  each  of  them  knew  what  the  other  three 
had  written,  and  what  they  had  omitted  to  s$iy  in  their 
Gospels.  Hence  it  happened  that  according  to  divine  pre- 
disposition some  of  the  happenings  of  the  life  of  Christ 
and  of  the  Gospel  were  described  by  all  four  of  the 
Evangelists,  while  again  some  other  things  mentioned  by 
one  were  omitted  by  the  others.  Saint  Matthew  de- 
scribes the  adoration  of  the  Kings  and  the  flight  into 
Egypt,  while  these  events  were  not  mentioned  by  saint 
Luke.  He  again  describes  the  Circumcision,  Presenta- 
tion and  Purification,  which  are  omitted  by  saint  Mat- 
thew. Thus  saint  Matthew,  after  referring  to  the  de- 
parture of  the  Magi,  immediately,  without  speaking  of 
the  Presentation,  relates  that  the  angel  appeared  to  saint 
Joseph  commanding  him  to  fly  into  Egypt;  but  it  does 
not  follow  therefrom  that  the  Child  had  not  been  pre- 
sented before  that  time  in  the  temple,  for  it  is  certain 
that  this  was  done  after  the  departure  of  the  Kings  and 
before  the  flight  into  Egypt,  as  is  narrated  by  saint  Luke. 
Thus,  likewise,  although  saint  Luke,  after  describing  the 
Presentation  and  Purification,  immediately  mentions  that 
the  holy  Family  lived  in  Nazareth,  we  must  not  conclude 
that  they  had  not  before  that  time  lived  in  Egypt:  he 
writes  nothing  of  this  flight  into  Egypt  either  before  or 
after,  because  it  had  already  been  recorded  by  saint  Mat- 
thew.    And  this  flight  took^place  immediately  after  the 


524  CITY   OF   GOD 

Presentation  before  most  holy  Mary  and  Joseph  returned 
to  Nazareth.  As  saint  Luke  had  received  no  commis- 
sion to  write  about  this  journey  it  was  natural  that,  in 
continuing  his  history,  he  should  mention  the  return  to 
Nazareth  immediately  after  the  Presentation.  To  say 
that,  having  fulfilled  what  the  law  commanded,  they  re- 
turned to  Galilee,  was  not  to  deny  the  flight  into  Egypt, 
but  it  was  merely  continuing  the  narrative  without  men- 
tioning the  flight  from  Herod.  Even  the  very  text  of 
saint  Luke  intimates  that  the  return  to  Nazareth  hap- 
pened after  their  sojourn  in  Egypt;  for  he  says  that  the 
Child  grew  and  increased  in  wisdom,  and  that  grace  was 
manifested  in  Him ;  which  could  not  have  been  before  He 
had  passed  the  years  of  infancy.  Hence  it  must  have 
been  after  his  return  from  Egypt,  and  at  an  age  when 
the  use  of  reason  usually  begins  to  show  itself  in  children. 
615.  I  was  also  given  to  understand  how  foolish  it  is 
in  the  infidels  or  incredulous  to  stumble  against  this  cor- 
nerstone of  Christ  even  in  his  infancy  and  to  take  offense 
at  seeing  Him  fly  to  Egypt  in  order  to  defend  Himself 
against  Herod ;  as  if  this  were  on  account  of  his  weakness 
and  not  a  mystery,  and  as  if  it  had  happened  for  no 
higher  purpose  than  to  defend  his  life  against  the  cruelty 
of  a  wicked  man.  For  the  well-disposed  souls  the  words 
of  the  Evangelist  are  amply  sufficient:  since  he  says  it 
happened  in  order  that  the  prophecy  of  Osea  might 
be  fulfilled,  who  prophesies  in  the  name  of  the 
eternal  Father:  "And  I  called  my  Son  out  of  Egypt" 
(Osee  n,  1).  The  ends  which  He  had  in  view  in  send- 
ing Him  there  and  in  calling  Him  thence  are  most  ex- 
alted and  mysterious :  of  these  I  will  say  something  anon. 
If  not  all  of  the  doings  of  the  incarnate  Word  are  equally 
admirable  and  sacramental,  yet  no  one  with  sane  judg- 
ment can  dispute  or  ignore  the  sweet  providence  of  God 


THE   INCARNATION  525 

in  directing  the  secondary  causes,  while  allowing  full 
liberty  to  the  human  will  (EccH.  15,  14).  For  this  rea- 
son, and  not  for  want  of  power.  He  permits  so  many 
idolatries,  heresies  and  other  sins,  which  are  not  any 
smaller  than  that  of  Herod ;  for  this  reason  He  permitted 
the  crime  of  Judas  and  all  those  which  followed  in  the 
sufferings  and  crucifixion  of  Christ.  Certainly  He  could 
have  prevented  all  these  sins  and  yet  would  not ;  not  only 
because  He  wished  to  work  our  Redemption,  but  also  in 
order  that  He  might  secure  to  man  freedom  of  his  will 
in  all  his  actions.  He  was  ready  to  give  to  men  the 
helps  and  graces  according  to  his  divine  Providence, 
whereby  they  could  accomplish  the  good,  if  they  would 
only  use  their  free  will  to  attain  it  in  the  same  degree  as 
they  were  using  it  to  follow  evil. 

616.  In  this  sweetness  of  his  Providence  He  gives  sin- 
ners time,  hoping  for  their  conversions,  as  in  the  case  of 
Herod.  If  He  would  use  his  absolute  power  and  per- 
form great  miracles  for  p'-eventing  the  course  of  sec- 
ondary causes,  the  order  of  nature  would  be  confounded, 
and  to  a  certain  extent  He  would  contradict  Himself  in 
his  double  role  as  Author  of  grace  and  as  Author  of 
nature.  Therefore,  miracles  must  happen  but  rarely,  and 
on  special  occasions  for  particular  reasons,  or  when  some 
end  is  to  be  served.  Therefore,  God  reserves  them  for 
the  manifestations  of  his  power  at  certain  times.  He 
makes  Himself  known  as  the  Author  of  his  works  by 
bringing  them  into  existence  and  preserving  them  inde- 
pendently of  creatures.  Neither  must  we  wonder  that 
He  should  consent  to  the  death  of  the  innocent  children 
which  Herod  murdered ;  for  it  would  not  have  been  to 
their  benefit  to  save  them  through  a  miracle,  since  by 
their  death  they  were  to  gain  eternal  life  together  with 
an  abundant  reward,  which  vastly  recompensed  them  for 

2-3& 


526  CITY   OF   GOD 

the  loss  of  their  temporal  life.  If  they  had  been  allowed 
to  escape  the  sword  and  die  a  natural  death,  all  would 
eventually  not  have  been  saved.  The  works  of  the  Lord 
are  just  and  holy  in  all  particulars,  although  we  do  not 
always  see  the  reasons  why  they  are  so ;  but  we  shall  come 
to  know  them  in  the  Lord  when  we  shall  see  him  face 
to  face. 

INSTRUCTION     WHICH   THE    QUEEN     OF     HEAVEN,     MOST 
HOI<Y  MARY,  GAVE  ME. 

617.  My  daughter,  what  thou  must  especially  learn 
from  this  chapter  is,  that  thou  accustom  thyself  to  humble 
thanksgiving  for  the  benefits  which  thou  receivest,  since 
thou,  among  many  generations,  art  so  specially  signalized 
by  the  riches  of  grace  with  which  my  Son  and  I  visit 
thee  without  any  merit  of  thine.  I  was  wont  to  repeat 
many  times  this  verse  of  David :  "What  shall  I  render 
to  the  Lord  for  all  the  things  that  he  hath  rendered  to 
me?"  (Ps.  115,  12).  In  such  sentiments  I  humiliated 
myself  to  the  dust,  esteeming  myself  altogether  useless 
among  creatures.  Therefore,  if  thou  knowest  what  I  did 
as  Mother  of  God,  consider  what  then  is  thy  obligation, 
since  thou  must  with  so  much  truth  confess  thyself  un- 
worthy and  undeserving  of  all  thou  receivest,  and  so 
poorly  furnished  for  giving  thanks  and  for  making  pay- 
ment. Thou  must  supply  thy  insufficiency  and  thy 
misery  by  offering  up  to  the  eternal  Father  the  living 
host  of  his  onlybegotten  Son,  especially  when  thou  re- 
ceivest Him  in  the  holy  Sacrament  and  possessest  Him 
within  thee:  for  in  this  thou  shouldst  also  imitate  David, 
who,  after  asking  the  Lord  what  return  he  should  make 
for  all  his  benefits,  answers:  "I  will  take  the  chalice  of 
salvation;  and  I  will  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord" 


THE    INCARNATION  527 

(Ps.  115,  13).  Thou  must  accept  the  salvation  offered 
to  thee  and  bring  forth  its  fruits  by  the  perfection  of  thy 
works,  calHng  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  offering  up  his^ 
Onlybegotten.  For  He  it  is  who  gave  the  virtue  of 
salvation,  who  merited  it,  who  alone  can  be  an  adequate 
return  for  the  blessings  conferred  upon  the  human  race 
and  upon  thee  especially.  I  have  given  Him  human 
form  in  order  that  He  might  converse  with  men  and 
become  the  property  of  each  one.  He  conceals  Himself 
under  the  appearances  of  bread  and  wine  in  order  to  ac- 
commodate Himself  to  the  needs  of  each  one,  and  that 
each  one  might  consider  Him  as  his  personal  property 
fit  to  offer  to  the  eternal  Father.  In  this  way  He  fur- 
nishes to  each  one  an  oblation  which  no  one  could  other- 
wise offer,  and  the  Most  High  rests  satisfied  with  it, 
since  there  is  not  anything  more  acceptable  nor  anything 
more  precious  in  the  possession  of  creatures. 

618.  In  addition  to  this  offering  is  the  resignation  with 
which  souls  embrace  and  bear  with  equanimity  and 
patience  the  labors  and  difficulties  of  mortal  life.  My 
most  holy  Son  and  I  were  eminent  Masters  in  the  prac- 
tice of  this  doctrine.  My  Son  began  to  teach  it  from 
the  moment  in  which  He  was  conceived  in  my  womb. 
For  already  then  He  began  to  suffer,  and  as  soon  as  He 
was  born  into  the  world  He  and  I  were  banished  by 
Herod  into  a  desert,  and  his  sufferings  continued  until 
He  died  on  the  Cross.  I  also  labored  to  the  end  of  my 
life,  as  thou  wilt  be  informed  more  and  more  in  the 
writing  of  this  history.  Since,  therefore.  We  suffered 
so  much  for  creatures  and  for  their  salvation,  I  desire 
thee  to  imitate  Us  in  this  conformity  to  the  divine  will 
as  being  his  spouse  and  my  daughter.  Suffer  with  a 
magnanimous  heart,  and  labor  to  increase  the  possessions 
of  thy  Lord  and  Master,  namely,  souls,  which  are  so- 


528  CITY    OF    GOD 

precious  in  his  sight  and  which  He  has  purchased  with 
his  Hfe-blood.  Never  shouldst  thou  fly  from  labors,  diffi- 
culties, bitterness  and  sorrows,  if  by  any  of  them  thou 
canst  gain  a  soul  for  the  Lord,  or  if  thou  canst  thereby 
induce  it  to  leave  the  path  of  sin  and  enter  the  path  of 
life.  Let  not  the  thought  that  thou  art  so  useless  and 
poor,  or  that  thy  desires  and  labor  avail  but  little,  dis- 
courage thee;  since  thou  canst  not  know  how  the  Lord 
will  accept  of  them  and  in  how  far  He  shall  consider 
Himself  served  thereby.  At  least  thou  shouldst  wish  to 
labor  assiduously  and  eat  no  unearned  bread  in  his  house 
(Prov.  31,  27). 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

JESUS,  MARY  AND  JOSEPH  BEGIN  THE  JOURNEY  TO  EGYPT  ; 
ACCOMPANIED  BY  THE  ANGEUC  SPIRITS,  THEY  ARRIVE 
AT  THE  CITY  OF  GAZA. 

619.  Our  heavenly  Pilgrims  left  Jerusalem  and  entered 
upon  their  banishment  while  yet  the  silence  and  obscurity 
of  night  held  sway.  They  were  full  of  solicitude  for  the 
Pledge  of  heaven,  which  they  carried  with  them  into  a 
strange  and  unknown  land.  Although  faith  and  hope 
strengthened  them  (for  in  no  other  beings  could  these 
virtues  be  more  firmly  and  securely  established  than  in 
our  Queen  and  her  most  faithful  spouse),  nevertheless 
the  Lord  afforded  them  occasion  for  anxiety.  Their  love 
for  the  Infant  Jesus  would  naturally  excite  in  them 
anxiety  and  suffering  on  an  occasion  like  this.  They 
knew  not  what  would  happen  during  such  a  long  journey, 
nor  when  it  should  end,  nor  how  they  would  fare  in 
Egypt,  where  they  would  be  entire  strangers,  nor  what 
comfort  or  convenience  they  would  find  there  for  raising 
the  Child,  nor  even  how  they  would  be  able  to  ward  off 
great  sufferings  from  Him  on  the  way  to  Egypt.  There- 
fore the  hearts  of  these  holy  Parents  were  filled  with 
many  misgivings  and  anxious  thoughts  when  they  parted 
with  so  much  haste  from  their  lodging-place;  but  their 
sorrow  was  much  relieved  when  the  ten  thousand  heav- 
enly courtiers  above  mentioned  again  appeared  to  them 
in  human  forms  and  in  their  former  splendor  and  beauty, 
and  when  they  again  changed  the  night  into  the  brightest 
day  for  the  holy  Pilgrims.     As  they  set  forth  from  the 

529 


330  CITY   OF   GOD 

portals  of  the  city  the  holy  angels  humiliated  themselves 
and  adored  the  incarnate  Word  in  the  arms  of  the  Virgin 
Mother.  They  also  encouraged  Her  by  again  offering 
their  homage  and  service,  stating  that  it  was  the  will  of 
the  Lord  that  they  guide  and  accompany  Her  on  the 
journey. 

620.  To  the  afflicted  heart  the  least  consolation  seems 
precious;  hence  this  one,  being  in  itself  a  great  relief, 
comforted  our  Queen  and  her  spouse  Joseph  very  much. 
They  therefore  entered  upon  their  journey  with  good 
heart,  choosing  the  way  which  led  through  the  city  gate 
in  the  direction  of  Nazareth.  The  heavenly  Mother 
longed  to  visit  again  the  place  of  the  Nativity,  in  order 
to  venerate  the  sacred  cave  and  the  crib,  which  had  offered 
shelter  and  hospitality  to  her  most  holy  Son  at  his  en- 
trance into  the  world.  But  the  holy  angels,  knowing  of 
her  unspoken  desires,  said  to  Her:  "Our  Queen  and 
Lady,  Mother  of  our  Creator,  it  behooves  us  to  hasten  on 
our  journey  without  any  delay;  for  on  account  of  the 
escape  of  the  magi  Kings  and  their  failure  to  return  to 
Jerusalem,  and  on  account  of  the  words  spoken  by  the 
priest  Simeon,  and  by  Anne,  the  people  have  been  roused 
to  attention.  Some  of  them  have  begun  to  say  that  Thou 
art  the  Mother  of  the  Messias ;  others  that  Thou  knowest 
of  Him;  and  others  say  that  thy  Son  is  a  Prophet. 
Various  rumors  are  also  spread  about  concerning  the 
visit  of  the  Kings  in  Bethlehem,  and  of  all  these  things 
Herod  is  informed.  He  has  commanded  that  You  be 
sought  after  very  carefully  and  consequently  a  most  dili- 
gent search  is  being  made  to  find  You.  On  this  account 
the  Most  High  has  commanded  You  to  fly  at  night  and 
with  so  much  haste." 

62  L  The  Queen  of  heaven  yielded  to  the  will  of  the 
Almighty  thus  made  known  to  Her  by  the  holy  angels. 


THE   INCARNATION  531 

She  therefore  reverenced  from  afar  the  sacred  place  of 
the  birth  of  her  Onlybegotten,  renewing  the  memory  of 
the  mysteries  there  wrought  and  the  favors  there  re- 
ceived. The  holy  angel  who  stood  as  guard  of  the  sacred 
cave  approached  Them  on  their  way  in  visible  form  and 
adored  the  incarnate  Word  in  the  arms  of  his  Mother. 
As  She  was  thus  allowed  to  see  this  angel  and  speak  to 
him,  the  heavenly  Lady  was  rejoiced  and  comforted  still 
more.  She  would  have  also  preferred  to  travel  by  way 
of  Hebron;  since  it  was  only  a  short  distance  from  the 
one  they  were  now  traveling,  and  Elisabeth  was  just  at 
that  time  in  that  city  with  her  son  John.  But  the  anxiety 
of  saint  Joseph,  who  was  more  timid,  prevented  also  this 
diversion  and  delay ;  for  he  said  to  his  heavenly  Spouse : 
"My  Lady,  I  think  it  is  extremely  important  that  we  do 
not  delay  our  journey  even  for  one  instant ;  and  that  we 
hasten  as  much  as  possible  to  flee  from  the  place  of  dan- 
ger. Therefore  it  will  not  be  prudent  to  go  to  Hebron, 
where  they  will  find  us  more  easily  than  in  any  other  parts 
of  the  country."  "Let  it  be  according  to  thy  pleasure," 
answered  the  humble  Queen,  "yet  I  wish  thou  give  me 
permission  to  send  one  of  these  celestial  spirits  to  Elisa- 
beth, in  order  to  inform  my  cousin  of  the  cause  of  our 
flight,  so  that  she  herself  may  protect  her  son;  for  the 
wrath  of  Herod  is  so  roused  .that  it  will  extend  to  them." 
622.  The  Queen  of  heaven  knew  of  the  design  to  mur- 
der the  children ;  but  She  did  not  tell  saint  Joseph  of  it 
at  that  time.  Here  I  must  marvel  at  the  obedience  and 
humility  of  most  holy  Mary,  which  was  so  exquisite  and 
rare :  for  She  obeyed  saint  Joseph  not  only  in  that  which 
he  commanded,  but  also  in  that  which  concerned  Herself 
alone,  namely  in  the  matter  of  sending  an  angel  to  saint 
Elisabeth.  Although  She  could  have  sent  the  angel  by 
a  mere  wish,  without  even  expressing  it  in  words,  She 


532  CITY   OF   GOD 

nevertheless  preferred  not  to  do  so  without  permission 
and  in  obedience  to  her  spouse.  I  must  confess  my  shame 
and  my  negligence ;  since  having  before  my  eyes  the  most 
pure  fountain  of  waters,  I  do  not  satiate  my  thirst,  nor 
profit  by  the  light  and  the  example  before  me,  though  it 
is  so  vivid,  so  sweet,  so  powerful  and  so  attractive  in 
teaching  us  all  to  abjure  our  own  reprehensible  wills. 
With  the  permission  of  saint  Joseph,  then  most  holy  Mary 
despatched  one  of  the  principal  angels  of  her  guard,  in 
order  to  notify  saint  Elisabeth  of  what  was  passing.  As 
the  Sovereign  of  the  angelic  spirits  She  instructed  her 
messenger  on  this  occasion  what  he  was  to  say  to  the 
holy  matron  and  to  the  child  John. 

623.  The  angel,  according  to  the  order  and  pleasure  of 
the  Queen,  proceeded  to  inform  the  fortunate  and  blessed 
Elisabeth  of  all  these  events  as  far  as  was  proper.  He 
told  her  that  the  Mother  of  God  was  fleeing  before  the 
wrath  of  Herod  into  Egypt,  as  this  tyrant  was  now 
searching  for  the  Child  in  order  to  kill  It.  He  warned 
her  to  see  to  the  safety  of  saint  John  by  hiding  him  in 
some  place  of  refuge.  He  also  manifested  to  her  other 
mysteries  of  the  incarnate  Word  according  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  heavenly  Mother.  The  holy  Elisabeth  was 
filled  with  joy  and  wonder  at  this  message,  and  she  ex- 
pressed her  desire  to  meet  and  adore  the  Infant  Jesus, 
and  to  see  his  Mother;  asking  him  whether  they  could 
be  reached.  The  holy  angel  answered  that  his  King  and 
Lord  was  passing  with  his  Mother  at  a  distance  from 
Hebron  and  could  not  wait  for  her  visit;  saint  Elisabeth 
therefore  gave  up  her  project.  Overflowing  with  tender 
and  tearful  affection,  she  asked  the  angel  to  bring  affec- 
tionate greetings  to  the  Son  and  Mother.  The  angel 
then  returned  with  his  message  to  the  Queen.  Saint 
Elisabeth  immediately  despatched  a  servant  with  some 


THE    INCARNATION  533 

gifts  consisting  in  provisions,  money  and  material  for 
clothing  the  Infant.  She  foresaw  their  needs  in  a  strange 
country  and  instructed  the  servant  to  overtake  them  with 
all  haste.  He  met  them  in  Gaza,  which  lies  a  little  less 
than  twenty  hours  from  Jerusalem,  on  the  river  Besor, 
and  on  the  road  from  Palestine  to  Egypt,  not  far  from 
the  Mediterranean  sea. 

624.  In  this  town  they  remained  two  days,  for  saint 
Joseph  and  the  beast  of  burden  which  carried  the  Queen 
were  worn  out  by  the  fatigue  of  the  journey.  From 
that  place  they  sent  back  the  servant  of  saint  Elisabeth, 
taking  care  to  caution  him  not  to  tell  any  one  of  their 
whereabouts.  But  God  provided  still  more  effectually 
against  this  danger;  for  He  took  away  from  this  man 
all  remembrance  of  what  saint  Joseph  had  charged  him  to 
conceal,  so  that  he  retained  only  his  message  to  saint 
Elisabeth.  Most  holy  Mary  expended  the  presents  sent 
by  Elisabeth  in  entertaining  the  poor;  for  She,  who  was 
Mother  of  the  poor,  could  not  bear  to  pass  them  by 
unassisted.  Of  the  clothes  sent  to  Her  She  made  a  cloak 
for  the  divine  Infant,  and  one  for  saint  Joseph,  to  shelter 
Them  from  the  discomforts  of  the  season  and  of  the 
journey.  She  also  used  other  things  in  their  possession 
for  the  comfort  of  her  Child  and  of  saint  Joseph.  The 
most  prudent  Virgin  would  not  rely  on  miraculous  as- 
sistance whenever  She  could  provide  for  the  daily  needs 
by  her  own  diligence  and  labor ;  for  in  these  matters  She 
desired  to  subject  Herself  to  the  natural  order  and  depend 
upon  her  own  efforts.  During  the  two  days  which  they 
spent  in  that  city  the  most  pure  Mary,  in  order  to  enrich 
it  with  great  blessings,  performed  some  wonderful  deeds. 
She  freed  two  sick  persons  from  the  danger  of  death 
and  cured  their  ailments.  She  restored  to  another  person, 
a  crippled  woman,  the  use  of  her  limbs.     In  the  souls  of 


534  CITY   OF   GOD 

many,  who  met  Her  and  conversed  with  Her,  She  caused 
divine  effects  of  the  knowledge  of  God  and  of  a  change 
of  life.  All  of  them  felt  themselves  moved  to  praise 
their  Creator.  But  neither  Mary  nor  Joseph  spoke  a 
word  about  their  native  country,  nor  of  the  destination 
or  object  of  their  journey;  for  if  this  information  had 
been  added  to  the  public  notice  caused  by  their  wonderful 
actions,  the  attention  of  Herod's  agents  might  have  been 
drawn  toward  them,  and  they  might  have  found  sufficient 
inducement  to  follow  them  after  their  departure. 

625.  Words  fail  me  to  describe  what  I  have  been  made 
to  understand  concerning  the  happenings  during  this 
journey  of  Jesus  and  Mary;  moreover,  I  fall  short  of 
the  sentiments  of  reverence  and  piety  which  such  admir- 
able mysteries  would  require.  The  arms  of  the  most 
pure  Mary  continually  served  as  a  delightful  couch  for 
the  new  and  real  King  Solomon  (Cant.  2>,  7).  As  She 
penetrated  in  spirit  into  the  secret  of  the  most  holy 
humanity  of  Christ,  it  happened  sometimes  that  the  Son 
and  Mother  interchanged  sweet  colloquies  and  canticles 
of  praise  in  honor  especially  of  the  infinite  essence  of  God 
and  of  all  his  attributes  and  perfections.  On  these  occa- 
sions the  Son  of  God  favored  his  sovereign  Mother  with 
new  visions  of  intellectual  clearness,  in  which  She  per- 
ceived the  unity  of  Essence  in  the  three  persons  of  God, 
the  operations  ad  intra,  in  the  generation  of  the  Word, 
and  in  the  procession  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  She  perceived 
how  the  Three  are  from  eternity,  and  how  the  Word  is 
generated  by  the  operation  of  the  eternal  Intellect,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  breathed  forth  in  the  operation  of  the 
Will ;  how  there  is  no  need  of  any  succession  of  before 
or  after,  but  how  all  is  from  eternity;  and  how  it  hap- 
pens that  we  conceive  these  operations  with  the  idea  of 
duration  or  succession  of  time.     She  also  perceived  how 


THE    INCARNATION  535 

these  three  Persons  comprehend  each  other  by  one  and 
the  same  act  of  understanding,  and  how  this  comprehen- 
sion includes  the  Divinity  of  the  incarnate  Word  united 
to  the  humanity,  forming  one  Person,  and  what  effects 
this  union  produces  in  the  humanity. 

626.  Filled  with  this  exalted  knowledge,  the  great 
Lady  allowed  her  thoughts  to  descend  from  the  Divinity 
to  the  humanity  and  composed  new  canticles  of  praise 
and  thanksgiving  for  the  creation  of  this  sacred  humanity, 
most  perfect  in  soul  and  body:  the  soul,  in  its  plenitude 
and  all  possible  abundance  of  wisdom,  gifts  and  graces 
of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  the  body,  most  pure,  and  in  the 
highest  possible  degree  well  composed  and  complexioned. 
Then  again  She  contemplated  the  exalted  and  heroic 
activity  of  all  his  faculties,  and,  having  in  her  soul 
imitated  Him  therein,  She  passed  on  to  bless  and  give 
Him  thanks  for  having  made  Her  his  Mother,  caused 
Her  to  be  conceived  without  sin,  chosen  Her  out  of  thou- 
sands, enriched  Her  with  all  the  favors  and  gifts  of  his 
powerful  right  hand  as  far  as  was  possible  in  a  mere 
creature.  In  the  exaltation  and  glory  of  these  and  other 
mysteries,  the  Child  spoke  to  his  Mother  and  She  re- 
sponded in  words  which  are  beyond  the  tongue  of  angels 
and  beyond  the  conception  of  any  other  created  being. 
To  all  this  the  heavenly  Lady  attended  without  neglect- 
ing the  care  and  comfort  of  her  Child,  giving  Him  nour- 
ishment at  her  breast  three  times  a  day,  tenderly  caressing 
Him  as  a  Mother  more  attentive  and  loving  than  all  other 
Mothers  combined  could  be  toward  their  children. 

627.  At  other  times  She  said  to  Him :  "My  sweetest 
and  most  beloved  Son,  permit  me  to  speak  to  Thee  and 
to  manifest  to  Thee  my  desires,  although  Thou,  my  Lord, 
already  knowest  them ;  permit  me  to  be  delighted  in  the 
sound  of  thy  voice.     Tell  me,  life  of  my  soul  and  light 


536  CITY   OF   GOD 

of  my  eyes,  whether  the  labors  of  this  journey  are 
fatiguing  Thee,  whether  the  rigors  of  the  season  and  of 
the  weather  cause  Thee  affliction,  and  what  I  can  do  for 
thy  service  and  for  thy  rehef."  And  the  divine  Infant 
answered:  "All  the  labors,  O  Mother,  and  all  fatigue 
are  most  light  and  sweet  to  Me,  since  I  undergo  them  for 
the  honor  of  my  eternal  Father  and  for  the  instruction 
and  Redemption  of  men,  especially  in  thy  company." 
The  Child  wept  a  few  times,  yet  in  great  serenity  and 
in  the  manner  of  a  grown-up  and  perfect  man;  and 
immediately  the  loving  Mother  sought  the  interior  cause 
of  these  tears,  finding  it  in  his  soul.  She  understood 
that  they  were  tears  of  love  and  compassion  for  the  salva- 
tion of  men  and  caused  by  their  ingratitude ;  in  this  sor- 
row and  weeping  the  sweetest  Mother  imitated  Him. 
She  was  wont  to  answer  his  tearful  plaints  like  a  com- 
passionate turtledove  lovingly  caressing  and  soothing  Him 
as  his  affectionate  Mother,  and  kissing  Him  with  match- 
less reverence.  The  fortunate  Joseph  often  witnessed  these 
divine  mysteries;  and  shared  in  some  of  the  enlighten- 
ments, thus  consoling  himself  for  the  hardships  of  the 
journey.  At  other  times  he  would  converse  with  his 
Spouse  as  they  journeyed  along,  asking  Her  frequently 
whether  She  desired  any  service  for  Herself  or  for  the 
Child ;  or  he  would  approach  and  adore  the  Infant,  kiss- 
ing his  feet  and  asking  his  blessing,  and  sometimes  taking 
Him  in  his  arms.  By  these  little  offices  of  kindness  the 
great  Patriarch  sweetened  his  labors,  being  at  the  same 
time  consoled  and  encouraged  by  his  heavenly  Spouse. 
To  all  things  She  attended  with  a  magnanimous  heart, 
being  hindered  neither  by  her  interior  prayer,  nor  by  her 
exalted  and  fervent  contemplation,  from  attending  to  the 
corporal  affairs ;  for  in  all  things  She  was  most  perfect. 


THE    INCARNATION  537 


INSTRUCTION     GIVEN     BY     MY     HEAVENLY     MOTHER    AND 

MISTRESS. 

628.  My  dearest  daughter,  for  thy  instruction  and 
imitation  I  wish,  in  what  thou  hast  written,  that  thou 
take  as  an  example  the  affectionate  wonder  which  the 
divine  Hght  caused  in  my  soul  at  seeing  my  most  holy 
Son  subject  Himself  to  the  inhuman  fury  of  wicked  men, 
such  as  was  shown  by  Herod  in  this  occasion  of  our 
flight  from  his  wrath  and  afterwards  by  the  perverse 
servants  of  the  high  priests  and  magistrates.  In  all  the 
works  of  the  Most  High  his  greatness,  goodness  and 
infinite  wisdom  shine  forth.  But,  since  my  understand- 
ing, by  means  of  the  most  exalted  inspiration,  penetrated 
so  deeply  into  the  very  essence  of  God  in  the  person  of 
the  Word  united  to  the  Divinity,  and  since  I  knew  that 
my  most  holy  Son  was  the  eternal,  all-powerful,  infinite 
Creator  and  Preserver  of  all  things,  and  that  this  iniqui- 
tous king-  depended  for  his  life  and  existence  entirely 
upon  this  very  beneficence,  I  was  particularly  struck  with 
wonder  to  see  the  most  sacred  humanity  pray  and  beseech 
his  eternal  Father  to  confer  upon  Herod,  at  this  very 
time,  enlightenment,  help  and  blessing;  to  see  my  Son, 
who  had  it  so  much  in  his  power  to  punish  him,  by  his 
prayers  prevent  the  full  measure  of  chastisement  which 
he  deserved.  Although  Herod's  purpose  was  frustrated, 
yet  this  obstinate  reprobate  was  visited  with  less  chas- 
tisement than  would  have  been  given  to  him  if  my  holy 
Son  had  not  prayed  for  him.  All  this,  and  whatever 
else  is  contained  in  this  matchless  mercy  and  kindness  of 
Jesus,  I  sought  to  imitate;  for  as  a  Teacher  He  taught 
me  thus  early  what  He  afterwards  inculcated  by  his 
actions,  words  and  example  concerning  the  love  of 
enemies  (Matth.  5,  44).     When  I  perceive  how  he  con- 


538  CITY   OF   GOD 

cealed  and  disguised  his  infinite  power,  and  how,  being 
the  invincible  Lion,  He  became  a  meek  and  humble  Lamb 
(Is.  5,  29),  amidst  the  fury  of  ravenous  wolves,  my 
heart  was  overwhelmed  and  my  faculties  failed  me  in  the 
ardent  desire  of  loving  Him,  imitating  and  following 
Him  in  his  love,  charity,  patience  and  meekness. 

629.  This  example  I  place  before  thee  for  thy  con- 
stant imitation,  so  that  thou  mayest  understand  to  what 
extremes  thou  must  be  willing  to  bear  and  suffer,  forgive 
and  love  all  who  offend  thee ;  for  neither  thou  nor  other 
creatures  are  innocent  and  without  fault,  and  many  are 
burdened  with  numerous  and  oft-repeated  sins,  by  which 
they  have  merited  all  offenses  and  insults.  Now,  if  per- 
secutions afford  thee  the  advantage  of  imitating  Him, 
why  shouldst  thou  not  esteem  them  as  a  great  blessing? 
Why  shouldst  thou  not  love  those  who  give  thee  occasion 
to  practice  this  highest  perfection,  why  not  thank  them 
for  this  benefit,  and  hold  them  not  as  enemies  but  as 
benefactors,  who  afford  thee  a  chance  to  obtain  what  is 
of  so  much  importance  for  thy  welfare?  On  account  of 
the  object-lesson  contained  in  this  history,  thou  wilt  not 
be  without  guilt  if  thou  fall  short  in  this  matter;  for  the 
divine  light,  and  all  that  thou  perceivest  and  under- 
standest  through  it,  is  as  it  were  before  thy  eyes,  as  in  a 
living  example. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

JESUS,  MARY  AND  JOSEPH  PURSUE  THEIR  JOURNEY  FROM 
THE  CITY  OE  GAZA  TO  HEUOPOUS  IN  EGYPT. 

630.  On  the  third  day  after  our  Pilgrims  had  touched 
Gaza,  they  departed  from  that  city  for  Egypt.  Soon 
leaving  the  inhabited  parts  of  Palestine,  they  entered  the 
sandy  deserts  of  Bersabe,  which  they  were  obliged  to 
traverse  for  sixty  leagues  in  order  to  arrive  and  take  their 
abode  in  Heliopolis,  the  present  Cairo  in  Egypt.  This 
journey  through  the  desert  consumed  a  number  of  days, 
for  the  distance  they  could  travel  each  day  was  but  short, 
not  only  on  account  of  the  laborious  progress  over  the 
deep  sand,  but  also  on  account  of  the  hardships  occa- 
sioned by  the  want  of  shelter.  There  were  many  inci- 
dents on  their  way  through  this  solitude ;  I  will  mention 
some  of  them,  from  which  others  can  be  conjectured; 
for  it  is  not  necessary  to  relate  all  of  them.  In  order 
to  understand  how  much  Mary  and  Joseph  and  also  the 
Infant  Jesus  suffered  on  their  pilgrimage,  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  Almighty  permitted  his  Onlybe- 
gotten,  with  his  most  holy  Mother  and  saint  Joseph,  to 
suffer  the  inconveniences  and  hardships  naturally  con- 
nected with  travel  through  this  desert.  And  although 
the  heavenly  Lady  made  no  complaints,  yet  She  was 
much  afflicted,  which  was  also  true  of  her  most  faithful 
husband.  For  both  of  them  suffered  many  personal  in- 
conveniences and  discomforts,  while  the  Mother,  in  addi- 
tion thereto,  was  afflicted  still  more  on  account  of  the 
sufferings  of  her  Son  and  of  saint  Joseph ;  and  the  latter 

539 


540  CITY   OF    GOD 

was  deeply  grieved  not  to  be  able  by  his  diligence  and 
care  to  ease  the  hardships  of  the  Child  and  his  Spouse. 

631.  During  all  this  journey  of  sixty  leagues  through 
the  desert  they  had  no  other  night-shelter  than  the  sky 
and  open  air ;  moreover,  it  was  in  the  time  of  winter,  for 
this  journey  took  place  in  the  month  of  February,  only 
six  days  after  the  Purification,  as  was  indicated  in  the 
last  chapter.  In  the  first  night  on  these  sandy  plains 
they  rested  at  the  foot  of  a  small  hill,  this  being  the  only 
protection  they  could  find.  The  Queen  of  heaven  with 
the  Child  in  her  arms  seated  Herself  on  the  earth,  and 
with  her  husband  She  ate  of  the  victuals  brought  with 
them  from  Gaza.  The  Empress  of  heaven  also  nursed 
the  Infant  Jesus  at  her  breast  and  He  on  his  part  re- 
joiced his  Mother  and  her  husband  by  his  contentment. 
In  order  to  furnish  them  with  some  kind  of  shelter 
against  the  open  air,  however  narrow  and  humble  it 
might  be,  saint  Joseph  formed  a  sort  of  tent  for  the  divine 
Word  and  most  holy  Mary  by  means  of  his  cloak  and 
some  sticks.  During  that  night  the  ten  thousand  angels 
who,  full  of  marvel,  assisted  these  earthly  Pilgrims  in 
visible  human  shapes,  formed  a  guard  around  their  King 
and  Queen.  The  great  Lady  perceived  that  her  divine 
Son  offered  up  to  the  eternal  Father  the  hardships  and 
labors  both  of  Himself  and  of  Mary  and  Joseph.  In 
these  prayers  and  in  the  other  acts  of  his  deified  Soul,  the 
Queen  joined  him  for  the  greater  part  of  the  night.  The 
divine  Infant  slept  for  a  short  time  in  her  arms,  while 
She  continued  wakeful  and  engaged  in  heavenly  col- 
loquies with  the  Most  High  and  his  angels.  Saint  Joseph 
slept  upon  the  ground,  resting  his  head  upon  the  chest, 
which  contained  the  clothing  and  other  articles  of  their 
baggage. 

632.  On  the  next  day  they  pursued  their  journey  and 


THE   INCARNATION  541 

their  little  store  of  fruit  and  bread  was  soon  exhausted, 
so  that  they  began  to  suffer  great  want  and  to  feel  the 
hunger.  Although  Joseph  was  more  deeply  concerned, 
yet  both  of  them  felt  this  privation  very  much.  On  one 
of  the  first  days  of  their  journey  they  partook  of  no 
sustenance  until  nine  o'clock  at  night,  not  having  any 
more  even  of  the  coarse  and  poor  food  which  until  then 
had  sustained  them  in  their  hardships  and  labor.  As 
nature  demanded  some  refreshment  after  the  exertion 
and  weariness  of  travel,  and  as  there  was  no  way  of 
supplying  their  want  by  natural  means,  the  heavenly  Lady 
addressed  Herself  to  the  Most  High  in  these  words: 
"Eternal,  great  and  powerful  God,  I  give  Thee  thanks 
and  bless  Thee  for  thy  magnificent  bounty ;  and  also  that, 
without  my  merits,  only  on  account  of  thy  merciful  con- 
descension, Thou  gavest  me  life  and  being  and  preservest 
me  in  it,  though  I  am  but  dust  and  a  useless  creature.  I 
have  not  made  a  proper  return  for  all  these  benefits; 
therefore  how  can  I  ask  for  myself  what  I  cannot  repay? 
But,  my  Lord  and  Father,  look  upon  thy  Onlybegotten 
and  grant  me  what  is  necessary  to  sustain  my  natural 
life  and  also  that  of  my  spouse,  so  that  I  may  serve  thy 
Majesty  and  thy  Word  made  flesh  for  the  salvation  of 
men." 

633.  In  order  that  the  clamors  of  the  sweetest  Mother 
might  proceed  from  yet  greater  tribulation,  the  Most 
High  permitted  the  elements  to  afflict  them  more  than 
at  other  times  and  in  addition  to  the  sufferings  caused 
by  their  fatigue,  destitution  and  hunger.  For  there 
arose  a  storm  of  wind  and  rain,  which  harassed  and 
blinded  them  by  its  fury.  This  hardship  gjieved  still 
more  the  tender-hearted  and  loving  Mother  on  account 
of  the  delicate  Child,  which  was  not  yet  fifty  days  old. 
Although  She  tried  to  cover  and  protect  Him  as  much 

2-38 


542  CITY   OF   GOD 

as  possible,  yet  She  could  not  prevent  Him  from  feeling 
the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  so  that  He  shed  tears  and 
shivered  from  the  cold  in  the  same  manner  as  other 
children  are  wont  to  do.  Then  the  anxious  Mother, 
making  use  of  her  power  as  Queen  and  Mistress  of  crea- 
tures, commanded  the  elements  not  to  afflict  their  Cre- 
ator, but  to  afford  Him  shelter  and  refreshment,  and 
wreak  their  vengeance  upon  Her  alone.  And,  as  related 
once  before,  at  the  occasion  of  the  birth  of  Christ  and 
of  the  journey  to  Jerusalem,  again  the  wind  immediately 
moderated  and  the  storm  abated,  not  daring  to  approach 
the  Mother  and  Child.  In  return  for  this  loving  fore- 
thought, the  Infant  Jesus  commanded  his  angels  to  assist 
his  kindest  Mother  and  to  serve  Her  as  a  shield  against 
the  inclemency  of  the  weather.  They  immediately  com- 
plied and  constructed  a  resplendent  and  beautiful  globe 
round  about  and  over  their  incarnate  God,  his  Mother 
and  her  spouse.  In  this  they  were  protected  and  de- 
fended more  effectually  than  all  the  wealthy  and  power- 
ful of  the  world  in  their  palaces  and  rich  garments.  The 
same  they  did  several  times  during  the  journey  through 
the  desert. 

634.  Nevertheless,  they  were  in  want  of  food,  and 
they  were  destitute  of  other  things  unprovidable  by  their 
own  mere  human  effort.  But  the  Lord  allowed  them 
to  fall  into  this  need  in  order  that,  listening  to  the  ac- 
ceptable prayers  of  his  Spouse,  He  might  make  provi- 
sion also  for  this  by  the  hands  of  the  angels.  They 
brought  them  delicious  bread  and  well-seasoned  fruits, 
and  moreover  a  most  delicious  drink;  all  of  which  they 
administered  and  served  with  their  own  hands.  Then 
all  of  them  together  sang  hymns  of  praise  and  thanks- 
giving to  the  Lord,  who  gives  food  to  all  creatures  at 
opportune  times,  in  order  that  the  poor  may  eat  and  be 


THE   INCARNATION  543 

filled  (Ps.  135,  25)  whose  eyes  and  hopes  are  fixed  upon 
his  kingly  providence  and  bounty.  Of  such  a  kind  was 
the  delicate  feast,  with  which  the  Lord  regaled  his  three 
exiled  Wanderers  in  the  desert  of  Bersabe  (III  Kings 
19,  3),  for  it  was  the  same  desert  in  which  Elias,  fleeing 
from  Jezabel,  was  comforted  by  the  hearth  cake,  brought 
to  him  by  the  angel  in  order  that  he  might  travel  to 
Horeb  mount.  Yet  neither  this  bread,  nor  the  bread  and 
meat,  which  once  before  the  ravens  had  miraculously 
brought  him  every  morning  and  evening  at  the  torrent  of 
Carith,  nor  the  manna  which  fell  from  heaven  for  the 
Israelites,  although  it  was  called  the  bread  of  angels  and 
dropped  from  heaven,  nor  the  quails,  which  were  carried 
to  them  by  the  African  winds;  nor  the  cloud-tent,  which 
overshadowed  them ;  none  of  all  these  could  be  compared 
to  the  succor  and  relief  which  the  Lord  afforded  to  his 
Onlybegotten  and  to  his  Mother  and  saint  Joseph.  For 
these  favors  were  not  to  be  conferred  upon  a  prophet,  or 
upon  an  ungrateful  and  unthinking  people ;  but  they  were 
intended  for  the  nourishment  and  protection  of  a  God 
incarnate,  for  his  true  Mother:  they  were  intended  for 
the  preservation  of  the  natural  life  of  Christ,  on  which 
depended  the  eternal  life  of  the  whole  human  race.  But 
if  this  food  was  worthy  of  the  excellence  of  those  who 
were  invited,  so  was  also  the  thanksgiving  and  gratitude 
worthy  of  the  blessings  conferred.  In  order  that  all  this 
might  be  so  much  the  more  opportune,  the  Lord  per- 
mitted the  necessity  to  become  extreme  and  thus  naturally 
call  into  play  the  assistance  of  heaven. 

635.  Let  the  poor  rejoice  in  this  example,  let  the 
hungry  confide,  let  the  destitute  take  new  courage,  let 
none  complain  of  divine  Providence,  no  matter  how 
afflicted  and  needy  they  may  find  themselves  to  be.  When 
has  the  Lord  ever  failed  him  who  hoped  in  his  assistance? 


544  CITY   OF   GOD 

(Ps.  17,  31).  When  has  He  ever  turned  away  his  coun- 
tenance from  his  afflicted  and  needy  children?  We  are 
brothers  of  his  only  Son  incarnate,  children  and  heirs 
of  his  blessings,  and  also  children  of  his  kindest  Mother. 
Why,  then,  ye  children  of  God  and  of  this  most  holy 
Mother,  do  you  continue  to  distrust  such  Parents  in  your 
poverty?  Why  do  you  deprive  them  of  this  honor,  and 
yourselves  of  the  privilege  of  being  assisted  and  sustained 
by  Them?  Come,  come  to  Them  with  humble  confi- 
dence, so  that  They  may  look  upon  you  with  the  eyes  of 
Parents  and  listen  to  your  crying  needs.  The  arms  of 
this  Lady  are  stretched  out  toward  the  poor  and  her 
hands  opened  for  the  needy.  And  you,  ye  rich  of  this 
world,  why  will  you  confide  so  much  in  your  uncertain 
riches,  at  the  imminent  danger  of  losing  your  faith,  of 
piling  up  for  yourselves  heaviest  cares  and  sorrows  as 
mentioned  by  the  Apostle?  By  your  avarice  you  fail  to 
conduct  yourselves  as  children  of  God  or  of  his  Mother; 
by  your  actions  you  make  of  yourselves  spurious  off- 
springs; for  legitimate  children  confide  in  the  care  and 
love  of  their  parents,  and  abhor  trusting  in  others,  who 
are  not  only  strangers  but  enemies.  These  truths  are 
manifest  to  me  by  the  divine  light  and  charity  compels 
me  thus  to  speak. 

636.  The  most  high  Father  not  only  provided  nourish- 
ment for  our  Pilgrims,  but  also  visible  relief  against  the 
tediousnees  of  this  journey  and  continued  solitude.  It 
happened  a  few  times,  when  the  heavenly  Lady  rested  on 
the  ground  from  her  fatigne,  that,  as  on  other  occasions, 
a  great  multitude  of  birds  came  flying  towards  Her  from 
the  mountains.  By  the  sweetness  of  their  warbling  and 
the  variety  of  their  plumage  they  sought  to  entertain  and 
delight  Her,  perching  on  her  shoulders  and  hands  with 
signs  of  great  joy.     The  most  prudent  Queen  gently 


THE   INCARNATION  545 

received  them  and  invited  them  to  acknowledge  their 
Creator  by  their  songs  and  to  be  thankful  for  his  having 
created  them  so  beautiful  and  arrayed  them  in  their 
gorgeous  plumage,  given  them  the  air  and  the  earth 
for  their  enjoyment,  and  provided  them  with  daily  food 
and  sustenance.  The  birds  responded  to  her  exhorta- 
tions with  joyous  movements  and  sweet  warblings,  while 
the  loving  Mother  joined  them  with  still  more  sweet  and 
melodious  songs  for  the  Infant  Jesus,  extolling  and  bless- 
ing Him,  and  acknowledging  Him  as  her  God  and  her 
Son,  and  as  the  Author  of  all  these  wonders.  Also  the 
holy  angels  took  part  in  these  colloquies  so  full  of  sweet- 
ness, and  alternated  their  offerings  of  praise  with  that  of 
the  great  Lady  and  of  these  simple  birds.  All  this  pro- 
duced a  harmony  more  perceptible  by  the  spirit  than  by 
the  senses,  and  of  admirable  concord  for  the  rational 
soul. 

637.  At  other  times  the  heavenly  Princess  conversed 
with  the  Child  and  said :  "My  love  and  light  of  my 
soul,  how  can  I  diminish  thy  labor?  How  can  I  relieve 
Thee  of  thy  hardships?  What  can  I  do  to  lighten  the 
sufiferings  of  this  journey?  O  would  that  I  could  carry 
Thee,  not  in  my  arms,  but  in  my  bosom  and  make  for 
Thee  a  soft  couch  in  my  heart,  in  order  that  Thou  mayest 
rest  there  without  fatigue!"  And  the  sweetest  Jesus 
replied:  "My  beloved  Mother,  very  easily  do  I  rest  in 
thy  arms  while  making  this  journey,  and  reclining  on 
thy  breast,  I  am  delighted  by  thy  affection,  and  enter- 
tained by  thy  words."  Sometimes  the  Son  and  Mother 
conversed  with  each  other  interiorly;  and  these  conver- 
sations were  so  exalted  and  divine  that  our  words  can- 
not express  them.  Saint  Joseph  shared  in  many  of  these 
mysteries  and  consolations;  and  thus  he  eased  his  jour- 
ney,   forgot   his   hardships,    feeling  within   himself  the 


546  CITY   OF   GOD 

delight  and  sweetness  of  such  companionship.  Yet  he 
did  not  hear  or  perceive  what  the  Child  said  audibly  to 
his  Mother;  for  at  that  time  of  the  life  of  Jesus  this 
favor  was  reserved  for  Her  alone,  as  I  have  already- 
remarked  above.  In  this  manner  our  Exiles  proceeded 
on  their  way  to  Egypt. 

INSTRUCTION    VOUCHSAFED    BY    THE    MOST    H0I,Y    MARY, 
OUR   LADY. 

638.  My  daughter,  just  as  those  who  know  the  Lord 
also  know  how  to  trust  in  Him,  so  those  who  do  not 
hope  in  his  goodness  and  immense  love  have  no  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  Majesty  of  God.  On  account  of  the 
want  of  faith  and  hope,  this  love  also  is  deficient ;  for  we 
readily  place  our  love  in  whom  we  have  confidence  and 
whom  we  esteem.  In  this  error  lies  the  source  of  all  the 
damage  done  to  mortals ;  for  they  have  such  a  low  con- 
ception of  the  infinite  bounty,  which  gave  them  being  and 
which  preserves  them,  that  they  fail  to  place  full  confi- 
dence in  their  God.  Failing  in  this,  they  also  fail  in  the 
love  due  to  Him  and  they  divert  it  toward  the  creatures. 
They  esteem  in  them  what  they  are  seeking,  namely 
power,  riches,  vain  honor  and  ostentation.  Although  the 
faithful  can  remedy  these  injurious  influences  by  faith 
and  hope,  yet  they  allow  these  virtues  to  remain  dead, 
and  unused,  and  debase  themselves  to  the  level  of  worth- 
less creatures.  Those  who  have  riches,  trust  in  them,  and 
those  who  have  none,  greedily  haste  after  them;  some 
procure  them  by  very  reprehensible  ways  and  means; 
some  confide  in  influential  persons,  praising  and  flattering 
them.  And  thus  it  happens  that  very  few  seek  the  Lord 
in  such  a  way  as  to  deserve  his  providential  care;  very 
few  trust  in  God  and  acknowledge  Him  as  their  Father, 


THE   INCARNATION  547 

who  is  willing  to  provide  for  his  children,  who  will  nour- 
ish and  sustain  them  without  fail  in  all  necessities. 

639.  This  deceitful  error  has  filled  the  earth  with  lovers 
of  the  world ;  has  filled  it  with  avarice  and  concupiscence 
agrainst  the  law  of  the  Creator;  has  made  men  insane  in 
their  desires;  for  all  of  them  commonly  strive  after  riches 
and  earthly  possessions;  claiming  thereby  merely  to 
satisfy  their  needs,  which  is  only  a  pretext  for  hiding 
their  want  of  interest  in  higher  things.  In  reality  they 
lie  to  themselves  abominously,  since  they  are  seeking  the 
superfluous;  not  what  is  really  necessary,  but  what  min- 
isters to  worldly  pride.  If  men  would  confine  their  de- 
sires to  what  is  really  necessary,  it  would  be  unreasonable 
to  put  any  confidence  in  creatures  instead  of  placing  it 
in  God  alone,  who  ineffably  provides  even  for  the  young 
ravens  with  no  less  solicitude  than  if  their  Growings  were 
prayers  sent  up  to  their  Creator  for  help  (Prov.  28,  8). 
Secure  in  this  confidence,  I  was  not  alarmed  in  my  exile 
and  prolonged  journey.  Since  I  trusted  in  the  Lord, 
He  provided  for  me  in  the  time  of  my  need.  Thou  also, 
my  daughter,  who  art  aware  of  this  exalted  Providence, 
shouldst  not  afflict  thyself  in  the  time  of  need,  nor  neglect 
thy  duties  in  order  to  make  provision  for  them,  nor  con- 
fide in  human  efforts,  nor  in  creatures.  After  having 
done  what  is  required  of  thee,  the  most  efficacious  means 
is  to  confide  in  the  Lord,  without  being  disturbed  or  con- 
fused; hope  patiently,  even  when  help  is  somewhat  de- 
layed. It  will  always  be  at  hand  at  a  time  when  it  will 
do  most  good,  and  when  the  paternal  love  of  the  Lord 
can  manifest  itself  most  conveniently  and  openly.  Thus  it 
happened  with  me  and  my  spouse  in  the  time  of  our 
destitution  and  necessity. 

640.  Those  that  do  not  bear  with  adversity  and  do 
not  put  up  with  privations,  who  turn  toward  dried  up 


548  CITY   OF   GOD 

cisterns  (Jer.  2,  5),  trusting  in  deceit  and  in  the  powerful 
of   this   world;   those   that   are  not  moderate   in   their 
desires  and  greedily  covet  what  is  unnecessary  for  the 
sustenance  of  life ;  those  that  anxiously  cling  to  what  they 
possess,  fearing  that  it  may  be  diminished  and  withhold- 
ing the  alms  due  to  the  poor ;  all  of  them  have  reasons  to 
dread  lest  divine  Providence,  showing  Itself  just  as  nig- 
gardly in  caring  for  them  as  they  are  in  their  confidence 
and  in  their  charities  to  the  poor,  deprive  them  of  what 
they  could  otherwise  easily  expect  to  receive  at  its  hands. 
But  the  Father  in  heaven,  who  lets  the  sun  rise  over  the 
just  and  the  unjust  (Matth.  5,  45),  and  lets  the  rain  fall 
on  the  good  and  the  bad,  nevertheless  helps  all,  giving 
them  life  and  nourishment.     However,  just  as  his  bless- 
ings are  distributed  to  the  good  and  to  the  bad,  so  also 
it  cannot  be  a  rule  with  God  to  give  greater  temporal 
goods  to  the  good  and  less  to  the  bad.     On  the  contrary 
He  prefers  that  the  chosen  and  predestined  ones  be  poor 
(James  2,  5),  both  because  they  thus  gain  more  merit 
and  reward,  and  because  there  are  few  who  know  how 
to  use  wealth  properly  and  who  can  retain  it  without 
inordinate  greed.     Although  my  most  holy  Son  and  I 
had  nothing  to  fear  from  this  danger,  yet  He  wished  to 
furnish  this  example  to  men  and  to  teach  them  this 
science,  through  which  eternal  life  comes  to  them. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  HOLY  TRAVELERS,  JESUS,  MARY  AND  JOSEPH, 
ARRIVE  IN  EGYPT,  AND  AFTER  SOME  WANDERINGS  THEY 
COME  TO  HEUOPOLIS,  WHERE  GREAT  MIRACLES  AR^ 
WROUGHT. 

641.  I  have  already  mentioned  that  the  flight  of  the 
incarnate  Word  contained  other  mysteries  and  aimed  at 
more  exahed  ends  than  to  evade  Herod  and  his  perse- 
cution. The  flight  into  Egypt  was  to  afford  the  infant 
Savior  an  occasion  of  visiting  that  country  and  perform- 
ing the  miracles  spoken  of  by  the  ancient  Prophets.  Isaias 
more  expressly  prophesies  of  them,  when  he  says:  that 
the  Lord  shall  ascend  upon  a  swift  cloud  and  enter  into 
Egypt;  that  the  idols  of  Egypt  shall  be  moved  at  his 
presence  and  that  the  heart  of  the  Egyptians  shall  melt 
in  the  midst  thereof  (Is.  19,  1).  These  and  other  things 
contained  in  this  prophecy  happened  at  the  time  of  the 
birth  of  Christ  our  Lord.  Yet,  passing  over  what  does 
not  pertain  to  my  purpose,  I  wish  to  say  that,  continuing 
their  pilgrimage  in  the  manner  already  described,  Jesus, 
Mary  and  Joseph  arrived  in  the  populated  districts  of 
Egypt.  Before  They  came  to  the  place  of  their  abode 
in  Heliopolis,  They  were  conducted  by  the  angels,  accord- 
ing to  the  ordainment  of  the  Most  High,  in  a  round- 
about way,  so  that  They  might  pass  through  many 
places,  where  God  wished  his  miracles  and  blessings  to 
be  wrought  for  the  good  of  the  Egyptians.  Thus  it  came 
that  They  consumed  in  this  journey  more  than  fifty 
days;  and  the  distance  of  their  journey  from  Bethlehem 

549 


550  CITY   OF   GOD 

or  Jerusalem  amounted  to  more  than  two  hundred 
leagues,  while  by  a  direct  route  such  long-protracted 
travel  would  not  have  been  necessary, 

642.  Egypt  was  much  given  to  idolatry  and  its  con- 
comitant superstition.  Even  the  small  villages  of  this 
country  were  full  of  idols.  In  many  of  these  places 
temples  had  been  built,  where  the  demons  dwelt;  and 
the  inhabitants,  instructed  by  these  devils,  gathered  in 
them  to  offer  services  and  sacrifices  in  their  honor,  while 
the  demons  answered  their  prayers  by  oracles,  thus 
obtaining  full  control  of  this  foolish  and  superstitious 
nation.  Steeped  in  these  deceits,  they  lived  on  in  such 
error  and  subjection  to  the  demons,  that  only  the  strong 
arm  of  the  Lord  (which  is  the  incarnate  Word)  could  res- 
cue these  forsaken  people  and  deliver  them  from  the  op- 
pression of  Lucifer.  It  was  a  harder  and  more  dangerous 
slavery  than  that  in  which  the  Egyptians  had  held  the 
people  of  Israel  (Exod.  1,  11).  In  order  to  obtain  this 
deliverance  and  enlighten  those  that  were  living  in  the 
region  and  the  shadows  of  death  (Luke  1,  79),  and  in 
order  that  they  might  see  the  great  light  spoken  of  by 
Isaias  (Is.  9,  2),  the  Most  High,  ordained  that  the 
Sun  of  justice,  Christ  (Mai.  4,  2),  shortly  after  his  birth, 
should  appear  in  Egypt  in  the  arms  of  his  most  fortunate 
Mother,  and  that  He  should  journey  and  pass  through 
this  country,  illumining  it  everywhere  by  the  power  of 
his  divine  light. 

643.  So  then  the  Infant  Jesus,  with  his  Mother  and 
saint  Joseph,  reached  the  inhabited  country  of  Egypt. 
On  entering  the  towns  the  divine  Infant,  in  the  arms  of 
his  Mother,  raised  his  eyes  and  his  hands  to  the  Father 
asking  for  the  salvation  of  these  inhabitants  held  captive 
by  satan.  And  immediately  He  made  use  of  his  sover- 
eign and  divine  power  and  drove  the  demons  from  the 


THE   INCARNATION  551 

idols  and  hurled  them  to  the  infernal  abyss.  Like  light- 
ning- flashed  from  the  clouds  they  darted  forth  and  de- 
scended to  the  lowermost  caverns  of  hell  and  darkness 
(Luke  10,  4).  At  the  same  instant  the  idols  crashed  to 
the  ground,  the  altars  fell  to  pieces,  and  the  temples 
crumbled  to  ruins.  The  cause  of  these  marvelous 
effects  were  known  to  the  heavenly  Lady,  for  She  united 
her  prayers  with  those  of  her  most  holy  Son  as  Co-opera- 
trix  of  his  salvation.  Sairjt  Joseph  also  knew  this  to  be 
the  work  of  the  incarnate  Word;  and  He  praised  and 
extolled  Him  in  holy  admiration.  But  the  demons, 
although  they  felt  the  divine  power,  knew  not  whence 
this  power  proceeded. 

644.  The  Egyptian  people  were  astounded  at  these 
inexplicable  happenings;  although  among  the  more 
learned,  ever  since  the  sojourn  of  Jeremias  in  Egypt,  an 
ancient  tradition  was  current  that  a  King  of  the  Jews 
would  come  and  that  the  temples  of  the  idols  would  be 
destroyed.  Yet  of  this  prophecy  the  common  people  had 
no  knowledge,  nor  did  the  learned  know  how  it  was 
to  be  fulfilled :  and  therefore  the  terror  and  confusion 
was  spread  among  all  of  them,  as  was  prophesied  by 
Isaias  (Is.  9,  1).  In  this  disturbance  and  fear,  some, 
reflecting  on  these  events,  came  to  our  great  Lady  and 
saint  Joseph ;  and,  in  their  curiosity  at  seeing  these 
strangers  in  their  midst,  they  also  spoke  to  them  about 
the  ruin  of  their  temples  and  their  idols.  Making  use 
of  this  occasion  the  Mother  of  wisdom  began  to  undeceive 
these  people,  speaking  to  them  of  the  true  God  and  teach- 
ing them  that  He  is  the  one  and  only  Creator  of  heaven 
and  earth,  who  is  alone  to  be  adored,  and  acknowledged 
as  God;  that  all  others  are  but  false  and  deceitful  gods, 
nothing  more  than  the  wood,  or  clay,  or  metal  of  which 
they  are  made,  having  neither  eyes,  nor  ears,  nor  any 


552  CITY   OF   GOD 

power;  that  the  same  artisans  that  made  them,  and  any 
other  man,  could  destroy  them  at  pleasure;  since  any 
man  is  more  noble  and  powerful  than  they;  that  the 
oracles  which  they  gave  forth  were  answers  of  the  lying 
and  deceitful  demons  within  them;  and  that  the  latter 
had  no  power,  since  there  is  but  one  true  God. 

645.  The  heavenly  Lady  was  so  sweet  and  kind  in 
her  words,  and  at  the  same  time  so  full  of  life  and 
force;  her  appearance  was  so  charming,  and  all  her  in- 
tercourse was  accompanied  by  such  salutary  effects,  that 
the  rumor  of  the  arrival  of  these  strange  Pilgrims  quickly 
spread  about  in  the  different  towns,  and  many  people 
gathered  to  see  and  hear  Them.  Moreover,  the  power- 
ful prayers  of  the  incarnate  Word  wrought  a  change  of 
hearts,  and  the  crumbling  of  the  idols  caused  an  incred- 
ible commotion  among  these  people,  instilling  into  their 
minds  knowledge  of  the  true  God  and  sorrow  for  their 
sins  without  their  knowing  whence  or  through  whom 
these  blessings  came  to  them.  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph 
pursued  their  way  through  many  towns  of  Egypt,  per- 
forming these  and  many  other  miracles,  driving  out  the 
demons  not  only  from  the  idols,  but  out  of  many  bodies 
possessed  by  them,  curing  many  that  were  grievously  and 
dangerously  ill,  enlightening  the  hearts  by  the  doctrines 
of  truth  and  eternal  life.  By  these  temporal  benefits  and 
others,  so  eflFectual  in  moving  the  ignorant,  earthly- 
minded  people,  many  were  drawn  to  listen  to  the  instruc- 
tions of  Mary  and  Joseph  concerning  a  good  and  salutary 
life. 

646.  They  arrived  at  Hermopolis,  which  lies  in  the 
direction  of  the  Thebaid,  and  is  called  by  some  the  city 
of  Mercury.  In  it  there  were  many  idols  infested  by 
powerful  demons.  One  of  them  dwelt  in  a  tree  at  the 
entrance  of  the  city ;  for  the  neighboring  inhabitants  had 


THE   INCARNATION  553 

beg^n  to  venerate  this  tree  on  account  of  its  size  and 
beauty,  whence  the  demon  had  taken  occasion  to  erect  his 
seat  in  it.  When  the  incarnate  Word  came  within  sight 
of  this  tree,  not  only  was  the  demon  hurled  from  his  seat 
and  cast  into  hell,  but  the  tree  bowed  down  to  the  ground, 
as  if  rejoiced  by  its  good  fortune;  for  even  the  senseless 
creatures  testified  how  tyrannical  is  the  dominion  of  the 
devil.  This  miraculous  reverence  of  the  trees  happened 
at  other  times  during  this  journey  of  Christ,  although 
these  incidents  are  not  all  recorded.  But  the  memory  of 
this  event  remained  for  centuries,  for  the  leaves  and 
fruits  of  this  tree  cured  many  sicknesses.  Of  this  miracle 
some  authors  make  mention,  as  well  as  of  others  in  other 
cities  visited  by  the  incarnate  Word  and  his  Mother 
(Nicephor  1,  10,  c.  31;  Sozomen  1,  5,  c.  20;  Brocard 
II,  c.  4).  There  is  to  this  day  a  traditional  fountain  near 
Cairo  from  which  the  heavenly  Lady  drew  water  for  Her- 
self and  the  Child,  and  for  washing  his  clothes;  all  this 
rests  on  truth  and  the  veneration  for  these  wonders  and 
these  places  still  lives,  not  only  among  the  faithful  who 
visit  the  holy  places,  but  also  among  the  infidels,  who 
there  occasionally  obtain  temporal  benefits  from  the  hands 
of  the  Lord.  For  also  the  infidels  sometimes  obtain  cer- 
tain favors,  in  order  that  the  Lord  may  be  justified  be- 
fore them,  or  in  order  that  the  memory  of  his  wonders 
may  be  preserved.  But  it  is  not  necessary  to  speak  of 
them  especially  just  now;  since  the  principal  wonders 
during  the  stay  of  our  Lord  in  Egypt  were  wrought  in 
Heliopolis,  which,  not  without  mysterious  import,  was 
called  city  of  the  sun,  and  is  now  called  Cairo,  the  grand. 
647.  In  writing  of  these  wonders,  I  asked  the  great 
Queen  in  astonishment  how  She  could  have  traveled  with 
the  Child  through  so  many  strange  provinces  and  cities? 
For  it  appeared  to  me  that  She  thereby  prolonged  exceed- 


554  CITY   OF   GOD 

ingly  the  labors  and  hardships  of  their  journey.  And 
our  Lady  repHed :  "Do  not  wonder  that  my  most  holy 
Son  and  I  journeyed  so  far  in  order  to  gain  souls.  For 
the  sake  of  even  one  soul,  if  possible,  and  if  there  would 
be  no  other  way,  We  would  willingly  traverse  the  whole 
world."  If  what  Jesus  and  Mary  did  for  the  salvation 
of  us  men  does  seem  great  to  us,  it  is  because  we  do  not 
understand  the  immensity  of  their  love,  and  because  we 
understand  just  as  little  how  to  make  a  proper  return  for 
such  love. 

648.  On  account  of  these  strange  happenings  when  so 
many  of  the  demons  were  driven  by  a  new  and  unwonted 
power  to  populate  hell,  Lucifer  was  highly  disturbed. 
Furiously  enraged,  He  issued  forth  into  the  world  in 
order  to  investigate  the  cause  of  such  unlooked  for  events. 
He  roamed  about  through  all  Egypt,  where  so  many 
temples  and  altars  of  his  idols  had  been  overthrown;  and 
reaching  Heliopolis,  the  largest  of  the  cities  and  the  scene 
of  the  greatest  destruction  in  his  dominions,  he  sought 
to  ascertain  with  the  utmost  anxiety  what  kind  of  people 
dwelt  therein.  He  found  nothing  new,  except  that  most 
holy  Mary  had  arrived  in  the  city.  Of  the  Infant  Jesus 
he  made  no  account,  deeming  Him  a  child  just  like  all 
the  rest  of  that  age,  for  he  knew  nothing  particular  about 
Him.  But  as  he  had  been  so  often  vanquished  by  the 
virtues  and  holiness  of  the  Virgin  Mother,  he  was  seized 
with  new  consternation ;  although  he  considered  a  woman 
far  too  insignificant  for  such  great  works,  yet  he  resolved 
anew  to  persecute  Her  and  to  stir  up  against  Her  his 
associates  in  wickedness. 

649.  He  therefore  returned  immediately  to  hell  and, 
calling  a  meeting  of  the  princes  of  darkness,  told  them 
of  the  destruction  of  the  temples  and  idols  in  Egypt.  For 
these  demons  had  been  hurled  by  the  divine  power  from 


THE   INCARNATION  555 

their  habitations  with  such  suddenness,  confusion  and 
torment  that  at  their  departure  they  were  unable  to  ascer- 
tain the  fate  of  the  idols  and  temples  which  they  were 
forced  to  leave.  Lucifer,  informing  them  of  all  that  had 
happened,  and  that  he  feared  the  destruction  of  his  reig^ 
in  Egypt,  told  them  that  he  could  not  ascertain  or  under- 
stand what  was  the  cause  of  this  ruin,  since  he  had  found 
there  only  that  Woman,  his  enemy  (for  so  the  dragon 
called  most  holy  Mary)  ;  and  though  he  knew  that  her 
power  was  extraordinary,  yet  he  did  not  presume  it  to 
be  so  great  as  to  account  for  such  portents.  Neverthe- 
less, he  wished  them  to  begin  a  new  war  against  Her,  and 
that  all  should  prepare  themselves  for  it.  The  satellites 
of  Lucifer  proclaimed  their  readiness  to  obey,  trying  to 
console  him  in  his  desperate  fury  and  promising  him  vic- 
tory, as  if  their  forces  were  as  great  as  their  arrogance 
(Is.  16,  6). 

650.  Many  legions  of  devils  accordingly  sallied  forth 
from  hell  and  betook  themselves  to  the  place  where  the 
Queen  of  heaven  was  at  that  time.  As  they  suspected 
that  God  had  used  the  most  holy  Mary  as  his  instrument 
in  causing  all  their  losses  in  that  unfortunate  country, 
they  thought  they  could  make  up  for  their  defeat  and 
restore  their  dominion  if  they  succeeded  in  overcoming 
Her.  But  they  were  astonished  to  find  that  when  they 
attempted  to  approach  Her  in  order  to  begin  their  dia- 
bolical temptations,  they  could  not  come  nearer  to  Her 
than  a  distance  of  two  thousand  paces;  for  they  were 
restrained  by  the  divine  power,  which  they  perceived  is- 
suing forth  from  the  heavenly  Lady  herself.  Although 
Lucifer  and  the  hostile  bands  struggled  violently,  they 
were  paralyzed  and  as  if  bound  in  strong  and  tormenting 
shackles,  without  being  able  to  reach  the  most  unconquer- 
able Queen;  while  She  witnessed  their  struggles,  holding 


556  CITY   OF   GOD 

in  her  arms  the  omnipotence  of  God  himself.  As  Luci- 
fer persevered  in  his  attempts,  he  was  suddenly  hurled 
into  the  abyss  of  hell  with  all  his  squadrons  and  wicked 
spirits.  This  defeat  and  ruin  filled  the  dragon  with  vast 
torment  and  anxiety,  and  as  the  like  had  overtaken  him 
repeatedly  since  the  Incarnation,  he  began  to  have  new 
misgivings,  whether  the  Messias  had  not  come  into  the 
world.  But  since  he  knew  nothing  of  the  mystery,  and 
expected  the  Messias  to  come  in  great  splendor  and  re- 
nown, he  remained  in  uncertainty  and  doubt,  full  of  tor- 
menting fury  and  wrath.  He  was  consumed  with  the 
desire  to  find  out  the  cause  of  his  sufferings,  and  the  more 
he  inquired  the  more  was  he  involved  in  darkness  and 
so  much  the  less  did  he  ascertain  of  the  true  cause. 

INSTRUCTION     GIVEN   MB    BY    THE    QUEEN     OE     HEAVEN, 
MOST   HOIvY   MARY. 

651.  My  daughter,  great  and  above  all  else  to  be  es- 
teemed, is  the  consolation  of  the  faithful  friends  of  my 
most  holy  Son,  when  they  with  lively  faith  and  assurance 
are  permitted  to  serve  the  Lord  of  lords  and  the  God  of 
gods,  who  alone  holds  power  and  dominion  over  all  cre- 
ation and  who  triumphs  and  reigns  over  his  enemies.  In 
this  feeling  of  assurance  the  intellect  is  delighted,  the 
memory  is  recreated,  the  will  is  rejoiced  and  all  the 
powers  of  the  devout  soul  enjoy  the  sweetness  of  the 
most  exalted  activity.  For  they  are  entirely  taken  up 
with  this  supreme  Goodness,  Holiness  and  infinite  Power, 
which  has  need  of  none  outside  Itself  and  whose  will 
governs  all  created  things  (II  Mach.  14,  35,  Apoc.  4,  11). 
O  how  many  thousandfold  blessings  do  those  creatures 
lose  who^  forgetful  of  their  true  happiness,  employ  all 
the  time  of  their  life  and  all  their  powers  in  attending 


THE   INCARNATION  557 

upon  visible  things,  pursuing  the  momentary  pleasures 
and  seeking  the  apparent  and  deceitful  goods  of  this 
world!  In  the  knowledge  and  light  vouchsafed  to  thee 
I  would  wish,  my  daughter,  that  thou  withdraw  thyself 
from  this  danger,  and  that  thy  intellect  and  memory 
occupy  themselves  continually  with  the  reality  of  the  ex- 
istence of  thy  God.  In  this  endless  sea,  engulf  and  anni- 
hilate thysdf,  repeating  without  cessation :  "Who  is  like 
to  God  our  Lord,  that  dwells  on  high  and  looks  upon  the 
humble  in  heaven  and  on  earth?"  (Ps.  112,  5).  Who 
is  like  to  Him,  that  is  almighty  and  depends  upon  no  one  ? 
that  humbles  the  proud,  and  casts  down  those  whom  the 
blind  world  calls  powerful,  that  triumphs  over  the  demon 
and  hurls  him  to  the  abyss? 

652.  In  order  that  thy  heart  may  dilate  so  much  the 
more  upon  these  truths  and  attain  a  greater  power  over 
the  enemies  of  the  Most  High  and  of  thyself,  I  wish  that, 
as  far  as  is  possible,  thou  imitate  me,  glorying  in  the 
victories  and  triumphs  of  his  mighty  arm  and  seeking 
thyself  to  have  a  share  in  those  which  he  gains  over  this 
cruel  dragon.  No  created  tongfue,  not  that  of  the  sera- 
phim, can  describe  what  my  soul  felt  when  I  beheld  my 
most  holy  Son  working  such  wonders  against  his  enemies 
for  the  benefit  of  the  souls  blinded  and  terrorized  by 
their  errors  and  for  the  exaltation  and  honor  of  the  Most 
High.  In  this  jubilation  I  magnified  the  Lord;  and  in 
company  with  my  Son  I  composed  new  hymns  of  praise 
as  his  Mother  and  as  Spouse  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Thou 
art  a  daughter  of  the  holy  Church  and  a  spouse  of  my 
most  blessed  Son,  favored  by  his  grace:  it  is  therefore 
just  that  thou  be  zealous  in  acquiring  this  glory  and 
honor  for  Him,  striving  against  his  enemies  and  battling 
for  the  triumphs  of  thy  Spouse. 

S-S7 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

m  ACCORDANCE  WITH  THE  DIVINE  WILL,  JESUS,  MARY 
AND  JOSEPH  SETTLE  DOWN  TO  DWELL  NEAR  THE  CITY 
OF  HELIOPOLIS  AND  THEY  REGULATE  THEIR  DAILY 
UFE  DURING  THEIR  BANISHMENT. 

653.  The  traditions,  which  in  many  parts  of  Egypt 
kept  aHve  the  remembrance  of  wonders  wrought  by  the 
incarnate  Word,  gave  rise  to  differences  of  opinion  among 
the  sacred  and  other  writers  in  regard  to  the  city,  in 
which  our  Exiles  Hved  during  their  stay  in  Egypt.  Some 
of  them  assert  that  they  dwelt  in  this  city,  some  in  an- 
other. But  all  of  them  may  be  right  and  in  accordance 
with  facts,  since  each  one  may  be  speaking  of  a  different 
period  of  the  sojourn  of  our  Pilgrims  in  Memphis,  or 
Babylon  of  Egypt,  or  in  Matarieh ;  for  they  visited  not 
only  these  cities,  but  many  others.  I  for  my  part  have 
been  informed  that  they  passed  through  these  and  then 
reached  Heliopolis,  where  they  took  up  their  abode. 
Their  holy  guardian  angels  instructed  the  heavenly  Queen 
and  saint  Joseph,  that  They  were  to  settle  in  this  city. 
For,  besides  the  ruin  of  the  temples  and  idols,  which, 
just  as  in  other  places,  took  place  at  their  arrival  here, 
the  Lord  had  resolved  to  perform  still  other  miracles  for 
his  glory  and  for  the  rescue  of  souls ;  and  the  inhabitants 
of  this  city,  (according  to  the  good  fortune  already  prog- 
nosticated in  its  name  as  "City  of  the  Sun"),  were  to 
see  the  Sun  of  justice  and  grace  arise  over  them  and  shine 
upon  them.  Following  these  orders,  saint  Joseph  sought 
to  purchase  for  a  suitable  price  some  dwelling  in  the 

558 


THE  INCARNATION  559 

neighborhood ;  and  the  Lord  ordained  that  he  should  find 
a  poor  and  humble,  yet  serviceable  house,  at  small  dis- 
tance from  the  city,  just  such  as  the  Queen  of  heaven 
desired. 

654.  Having  therefore  found  this  dwelling  near  Heli- 
opolis,  they  took  their  abode  therein.  At  the  first  en- 
trance of  the  heavenly  Lady  with  her  divine  Son  and 
saint  Joseph,  She  prostrated  Herself  to  the  ground,  kiss- 
ing it  in  profound  humility  and  lovingly  thanking  the 
Most  High  for  having  secured  them  this  place  of  rest 
after  their  prolonged  and  laborious  journeyings.  She 
thanked  also  the  earth  and  the  elements  for  bearing  with 
Her,  since  in  her  matchless  humility  She  persisted  in 
esteeming  Herself  unworthy  of  all  favors.  She  adored 
the  immutable  being  of  God  in  this  prostration,  dedicat- 
ing all  that  She  was  to  do  in  this  place  to  his  honor  and 
worship.  Interiorly  She  made  a  sacrifice  of  all  her 
powers  and  faculties,  offering  to  assume  readily  and  with 
joy  all  the  labors  by  which  the  Almighty  could  be  served 
during  her  exile;  for  in  her  prudence  She  foresaw  and 
affectionately  embraced  them  all.  By  means  of  her 
divine  knowledge  She  set  a  great  value  on  sufferings; 
understanding  how  highly  they  are  esteemed  at  the  divine 
tribunal,  and  how  her  most  holy  Son  looked  upon  them 
as  a  rich  treasure  and  inheritance.  Having  performed 
these  exalted  acts  of  devotion,  She  set  about  humbly  to 
clean  and  arrange  the  poor  little  house,  borrowing  the 
instruments  for  this  purpose.  Although  our  heavenly 
strangers  were  thus  sufficiently  provided  with  the  shelter 
of  bare  walls,  they  were  in  want  of  all  else  pertaining  to 
the  sustenance  and  comfort  of  daily  life.  As  they  now 
lived  in  an  inhabited  country,  the  miraculous  assistance, 
which  they  had  enjoyed  in  the  desert  through  the  min- 
istry of  the  angels,  failed  them;  and  the  Lord  left  them 


560  CITY   OF   GOD 

to  the  last  resource  of  the  poor,  namely,  the  begging  of 
alms.  Having  come  to  these  straits  of  suffering  hunger, 
saint  Joseph  went  forth  to  seek  this  kind  of  assistance 
for  the  love  of  God;  giving  thereby  an  example  to  the 
poor  not  to  complain  of  their  affliction  and,  all  other 
means  failing,  not  to  be  ashamed  to  have  recourse  to  this 
expedient.  For  so  early  the  Lord  of  all  creation  allowed 
Himself  to  fall  into  this  extreme  of  being  obliged  to  beg 
for  his  sustenance,  in  order  that  He  might  have  an 
occasion  to  return  the  alms  a  hundredfold. 

655.  During  the  first  three  days  of  their  arrival  in 
Heliopolis,  just  as  in  other  places  of  Egypt,  the  Queen 
had  for  Herself  and  for  her  Onlybegotten  no  other  suste- 
nance than  what  was  begged  by  his  foster  father  saint 
Joseph.  When  he  began  to  earn  some  wages  by  his 
work,  he  made  an  humble  couch  for  the  Mother  and  a 
cradle  for  her  Son;  while  he  himself  had  as  a  resting- 
place  only  the  bare  ground;  for  the  house  was  without 
any  furniture  until  by  his  own  labor  he  succeeded  in 
making  some  of  the  most  indispensable  pieces  for  the 
convenience  of  all  three.  In  this  connection  I  must  not 
pass  over  in  silence  the  fact  that  in  their  extreme  poverty 
and  need  most  holy  Mary  and  Joseph  regretted  not  their 
house  in  Nazareth,  nor  thought  of  the  aid  of  their  rela- 
tions and  friends,  nor  of  the  gifts  of  the  kings,  which 
they  had  given  away  and  which,  if  they  had  saved  them, 
would  now  be  useful.  All  of  these  regrets  were  far  from 
their  minds,  nor  did  they  complain  of  the  great  privation 
and  destitution,  thinking  of  the  past  or  worrying  about 
their  future.  But  they  bore  all  with  incomparable 
equanimity,  joy  and  tranquillity,  resigning  themselves  to 
the  divine  Providence  in  their  extreme  need  and  poverty. 
O  smallness  of  our  unfaithful  hearts!  In  what  excruci- 
ating anxieties  we  are  apt  to  be  cast  at  finding  ourselves 


THE   INCARNATION  561 

threatened  with  poverty  or  privation!  Immediately  we 
begin  to  rail  at  occasions  lost,  at  having  missed  or  neg- 
lected this  or  that  advantage,  or  at  not  having  done  this 
or  that,  by  which  we  would  have  evaded  our  misfortunes. 
All  these  complaints  are  vain  and  most  foolish,  since  they 
can  bring  no  relief.  Although  it  would  have  been  good 
if  we  had  not  committed  the  sins  by  which  we  are  thus 
punished,  yet  very  often  we  are  sorry  for  them  only  on 
account  of  the  temporal  disadvantages,  and  not  for  the 
guilt  connected  with  sin.  Slow  and  stupid  of  heart  are 
we  to  perceive  the  spiritual  things  conducive  to  our  justi- 
fication and  growth  in  grace  (Luke  24,  25) ;  while  on  the 
other  hand  we  are  full  of  fleshly  and  earthly  rashness  in 
entering  upon  temporal  affairs  and  anxieties.  The  ex- 
ample of  our  Exiles  is  indeed  a  severe  reprimand  for  our 
low-minded  earthliness. 

656.  The  most  prudent  Lady  and  her  spouse,  forsaken 
and  destitute  of  all  temporal  help,  accommodated  them- 
selves joyfully  to  the  poverty  of  their  little  dwelling.  Of 
the  three  rooms,  which  it  contained,  they  assigned  one 
to  be  the  sanctuary  or  temple  of  the  Infant  Jesus  under 
the  tender  care  of  the  most  pure  Mother;  there  they 
placed  the  cradle  and  her  bare  couch,  until,  after  some 
days,  by  the  labor  of  the  holy  spouse,  and  through  the 
kindness  of  some  pious  women,  they  could  obtain  where- 
with to  cover  it.  Another  room  was  set  aside  for  the 
sleeping  place  and  oratory  of  saint  Joseph.  The  third 
served  as  a  workshop  for  plying  his  trade.  In  view  of 
their  great  poverty,  and  of  the  great  difficulty  of  sufficient 
employment  as  a  carpenter,  the  great  Lady  resolved  to 
assist  him  by  the  work  of  her  hands  to  earn  a  livelihood. 
She  immediately  executed  her  resolve  by  seeking  to  obtain 
needlework  through  the  intervention  of  the  pious  women, 
who,  attracted  by  her  modesty  and  sweetness,  were  be- 

37 


562  CITY   OF   GOD 

ginning  to  have  intercourse  with  Her.  As  all  that  She 
attended  to  or  busied  Herself  with  was  so  perfect,  the 
reputation  of  her  skill  soon  spread  about,  so  that  She 
never  was  in  want  of  employment  whereby  to  eke  out 
the  slender  means  of  livelihood  for  her  Son,  the  true  God 
and  man. 

657.  In  order  to  obtain  the  indispensable  victuals  and 
clothing,  furnish  the  house  ever  so  moderately,  and  pay 
the  necessary  expenses,  it  seemed  to  our  Queen  that  She 
must  employ  all  day  in  work  and  consume  the  night  in 
attending  to  her  spiritual  exercises.  This  She  resolved 
upon,  not  for  any  motives  of  gain,  or  because  She  did 
not  continue  in  her  contemplations  during  the  day;  for 
this  was  her  incessant  occupation  in  the  presence  of  the 
infant  God,  as  I  have  so  often  said  and  shall  repeat  here- 
after. But  some  of  the  hours,  which  She  was  wont  to 
spend  in  special  exercises.  She  wished  to  transfer  to  the 
night-time  in  order  to  be  able  to  extend  the  hours  of 
manual  labor,  not  being  minded  to  ask  or  expect  God's 
miraculous  assistance  for  anything  which  She  could  at- 
tain by  greater  diligence  and  additional  labor  on  her  own 
part.  In  all  such  cases  we  ask  for  miraculous  help  more 
for  our  own  convenience  than  on  account  of  necessity. 
The  most  prudent  Queen  asked  the  eternal  Father  to 
provide  sustenance  for  her  divine  Son;  but  at  the  same 
time  She  continued  to  labor.  Like  one  who  does  not 
trust  in  herself,  or  in  her  own  efforts,  She  united  prayer 
with  her  labors,  in  order  to  obtain  the  necessities  of  life 
like  other  men. 

658.  The  Infant  Jesus  was  much  pleased  with  the  pru- 
dence of  his  Mother,  and  with  her  resignation  in  the  midst 
of  her  dire  poverty,  and  in  return  for  her  fidelity  He 
wished  to  lessen  the  labors  She  had  undertaken.  One 
day  He  spoke  to  Her  from  the  cradle  and  said:    "My 


THE   INCARNATION  563 

Mother,  I  wish  to  set  up  a  rule  for  thy  daily  life  and 
labors."  Immediately  the  heavenly  Mother  knelt  before 
Him  and  answered:  "My  sweetest  Love,  and  Lord  of 
all  my  being,  I  praise  and  magnify  Thee  because  Thou 
hast  condescended  to  meet  my  secret  thoughts  and  de- 
sires ;  may  it  please  Thee  to  direct  my  footsteps  according 
to  thy  holy  will,  to  regulate  all  my  labors  according  to 
thy  wishes,  and  to  order  all  my  occupations  in  each  hour 
of  the  day  according  to  thy  divine  pleasure.  And  since 
thy  Deity  became  incarnate  and  thy  Majesty  condescended 
to  take  heed  of  my  longings,  speak.  Light  of  my  eyes,  for 
thy  servant  hears."  The  Lord  replied:  "My  dearest 
Mother,  from  the  time  'of  nightfall"  (that  is,  from  the 
hour  called  by  us  nine  o'clock)  "thou  shalt  take  some 
sleep  and  rest.  And  from  midnight  until  the  break  of 
day  thou  mayest  occupy  thyself  in  contemplation  with 
Me,  and  We  will  praise  the  eternal  Father.  Thereupon 
prepare  the  necessary  food  for  thyself  and  Joseph;  and 
afterwards  g^ve  Me  nourishment  and  hold  Me  in  thy 
arms  until  the  third  hour,  when  thou  shalt  place  Me  in 
the  arms  of  thy  husband,  in  order  to  afford  him  some 
refreshment  in  his  labors.  Then  retire  until  it  is  time 
to  prepare  his  meal  and  return  to  thy  work.  Since  thou 
hast  not  with  thee  the  sacred  Scriptures,  which  were  wont 
to  console  thee,  thou  canst,  by  my  holy  science,  enter  into 
the  doctrines  of  eternal  life,  in  order  that  thou  mayest 
follow  Me  in  perfect  imitation.  And  continually  pray  to 
the  eternal  Father  for  the  sinners." 

659.  By  this  rule  of  life  the  most  holy  Mary  governed 
her  doings  during  her  stay  in  Egypt.  Every  day  three 
times  She  nursed  the  infant  God  at  her  breast ;  for  when 
He  pointed  out  to  Her  the  hour  in  which  She  was  to 
nurse  Him  in  the  morning,  He  did  not  forbid  Her  to 
afford  Him  nourishment  at  other  times,  as  She  had  been 


564  CITY   OF   GOD 

accustomed  to  do  since  his  Nativity.  Whenever  the 
heavenly  Mother  was  engaged  in  any  work,  She  always 
performed  it  in  his  presence  and  upon  her  knees;  and  it 
•was  very  usual,  during  their  colloquies  and  conferences, 
that  the  King  from  his  cradle  and  the  Mother  at  her 
work,  broke  out  in  mysterious  canticles  of  praise.  If 
they  were  all  written,  they  would  outnumber  all  the 
psalms  and  the  hymns  used  by  the  Church,  and  all  that 
are  written ;  for  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  God  conversed 
with  the  source  of  his  humanity,  his  most  blessed  Mother, 
in  a  more  exalted  and  wonderful  manner  than  with  David, 
Moses,  Mary,  Anne  and  all  the  Prophets.  By  these 
hymns  the  heavenly  Mother  was  continually  filled  with 
new  influences  of  the  Divinity,  and  new  longings  to  be 
united  to  his  unchangeable  being;  for  She  alone  was  the 
Phenix  which  could  be  renewed  in  this  conflagration,  and 
the  royal  Eagle  which  could  penetrate  into  the  ineffable 
light  and  soar  from  height  to  heights,  whither  no  other 
created  being  could  venture  to  wing  its  flight.  She  ful- 
filled the  end  for  which  the  divine  Word  had  assumed 
flesh  in  her  virginal  womb,  namely,  to  draw  on  and  ele- 
vate the  rational  creatures  to  the  Divinity.  As  She  was 
the  only  Creature  which  did  not  present  the  hindrance  of 
sin  and  its  effects,  nor  from  disordered  passions  and 
appetites,  but  was  free  of  the  downward  tendency  of  our 
earthly  nature.  She  flew  upward  to  her  Beloved  and  to 
his  exalted  habitation,  not  resting  until  She  reached  her 
Center,  which  was  the  Divinity.  Moreover  She  had 
always  in  view  the  way  and  the  light  (John  16,  6),  the 
incarnate  Word,  and  all  her  desires  and  affections  met 
in  the  immutable  being  of  the  Most  High ;  and  therefore 
She  hastened  on  in  burning  fervor,  embracing  Her  goal 
rather  than  flying  towards  it,  and  living  more  in  her  love 
than  in  her  life. 


THE   INCARNATION  565 

660.  Sometimes,  also,  the  infant  God  slept  under  the 
watchful  care  of  his  happy  and  fortunate  Mother;  in 
order  that  also  this  saying  might  become  true :  "I  sleep, 
but  my  heart  is  awake"  (Cant.  5,  2).  And  as  this  most 
holy  body  of  her  Son  was  for  Her  a  most  clear  mirror, 
in  which  She  saw  and  penetrated  the  secrets  of  his  deified 
Soul  and  its  operations  (Wis.  7,  16),  She  beheld  Herself 
therein  again  and  again.  Especially  consoling  to  the 
heavenly  Lady  was  it  to  see  the  most  holy  Soul  of  her 
Son  revealed  to  Her  in  all  its  heroic  operations  as  a  Pil- 
grim and  yet  a  Comprehensor,  while  at  the  same  time  his 
bodily  faculties  were  lost  in  the  tranquil  and  beauteous 
sleep  of  childhood,  his  whole  humanity  being  hypostatic- 
ally  united  to  the  Divinity.  Our  language  is  incapable 
of  describing  the  sweet  affections  and  flights  of  love,  and 
the  heroic  acts  of  the  Queen  of  heaven  on  these  occasions, 
and  falls  far  short  of  the  reality;  but  where  words  fail, 
let  faith  and  love  supply  the  deficiency. 

661.  Whenever  She  wished  to  afford  saint  Joseph  the 
consolation  of  holding  the  Infant  Jesus,  the  Mother  of 
God  said:  "My  Son  and  Lord,  look  upon  thy  faithful 
servant  Joseph  with  the  love  of  a  son  and  father,  and 
delight  Thyself  in  the  purity  of  his  affectionate  soul,  so 
acceptable  in  thy  eyes."  And  to  saint  Joseph  She  said : 
"My  Spouse,  receive  in  thy  arms  the  Lord,  who  holds 
in  his  hands  all  the  orbs  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  who 
has  given  them  existence  out  of  his  mere  bounty.  Re- 
fresh thyself  from  thy  labors  in  Him  who  is  the  glory 
of  all  creation."  For  these  favors  saint  Joseph  returned 
most  humble  thanks ;  and  he  was  wont  to  ask  his  Spouse 
whether  he  could  dare  to  caress  the  Child.  Encouraged 
by  Her,  he  would  do  so;  and  this  privilege  made  him 
forget  all  the  hardships  of  his  labor,  and  made  them  easy 
and  sweet  in  his  eyes.     Whenever  Mary  and  Joseph  were 


566  CITY   OF   GOD 

at  their  meals  they  had  with  them  the  Infant;  in  serving 
the  meals,  the  heavenly  Queen  held  Him  in  her  arms, 
partaking  of  the  food  with  great  modesty  and,  in  holding 
Him,  She  at  the  same  time  afforded  her  most  pure  soul 
a  sweeter  and  more  nourishing  food  than  to  the  body, 
adoring  and  loving  Him  as  the  eternal  God,  and  caressing 
Him  with  the  tenderness  of  a  Mother.  It  is  impossible 
to  conceive  the  attention  which  She  paid  to  this  double 
duty;  on  the  one  hand,  to  fulfill  all  obligation  that  was 
due  to  Him  as  from  a  creature  to  its  Creator,  looking 
upon  Him  in  his  Divinity,  as  Son  of  the  eternal  Father, 
as  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords,  as  the  Maker  and 
Preserver  of  all  the  universe;  and  on  the  other  hand,  to 
give  to  Him  all  the  attention  that  He  deserved  as  an 
Infant,  serving  Him  and  nursing  Him.  Betwixt  these 
two  extremes  She  was  entirely  inflamed  with  love,  and 
her  whole  being  consumed  in  heroic  acts  of  admiration, 
praise  and  affection.  Of  all  the  rest  which  the  two 
Spouses  did  it  can  only  be  said  that  they  were  the  wonder 
of  the  angels,  and  that  they  attained  the  summit  of 
holiness  and  of  divine  pleasure. 

INSTRUCTION    VOUCHSAFED   BY   THE  QUEEN    OE   HEAVEN, 
MOST    H0L,Y    MARY. 

662.  My  daughter,  I  came  into  Egypt,  where  I  knew 
no  relations  or  friends,  in  a  land  of  foreign  religion, 
where  I  could  offer  no  home  or  protection  or  assistance 
to  my  Son,  whom  I  loved  so  much.  It  can  easily  be 
understood,  then,  what  tribulations  and  hardships  we  suf- 
fered, since  the  Lord  permitted  them  to  come  over  Us. 
Thou  canst  not  understand  with  what  patience  and  for- 
bearance We  accepted  them;  and  even  the  angels  cannot 
estimate  the  reward  I  merited  from  the  Most  High  by 


THE   INCARNATION  567 

the  love  and  resignation  with  which  I  bore  them,  and 
which  were  greater  than  if  I  had  been  in  the  greatest 
prosperity.  It  is  true,  I  grieved  much  to  see  my  hus- 
band in  such  necessity  and  want ;  but  at  the  same  time  I 
blessed  the  Lord  to  be  able  to  suffer  them.  In  this  most 
noble  patience  and  joy  of  spirit  I  wish  that  thou  imitate 
me  whenever  the  Lord  offers  thee  an  occasion;  and  that 
thou  learn  to  act  with  prudence  interiorly  and  exteriorly, 
ordering  well  thy  actions  and  thy  thoughts,  without 
hindrance  to  either  of  them. 

663.  When  the  necessaries  of  life  are  wanting  to  those 
under  thy  charge,  exert  thyself  properly  to  obtain  them. 
If  sometimes  thou  must  sacrifice  thy  own  tranquillity  in 
fulfilling  this  obligation,  thou  needst  not  on  that  account 
lose  thy  peace  of  mind;  especially  if  thou  art  mindful 
of  what  I  have  so  often  told  thee:  not  to  lose  sight  of 
the  presence  of  the  Lord;  for  by  his  divine  light  and 
grace,  if  thou  art  careful  and  preservest  thy  peace,  thou 
canst  do  all  things.  Whatever  can  duly  be  procured  by 
human  exertion,  is  not  to  be  expected  by  a  miracle,  nor 
must  one  try  to  exempt  himself  from  labor  in  the  hope 
of  a  supernatural  interference  on  the  part  of  God;  for 
the  Lord  sweetly  concurs  with  the  ordinary  and  natural 
course  of  created  things.  The  labor  of  the  body  is  serv- 
iceable to  the  soul  as  a  sacrifice  and  as  an  increase  of 
the  merits  due  to  that  kind  of  activity.  While  at  work 
the  rational  creature  can  praise  God  and  adore  Him  in 
spirit  and  in  truth  (John  4,  23).  In  order  to  fulfill  this 
duty,  direct  thy  activity  according  to  his  pleasure,  con- 
sult his  will  in  regard  to  them,  weighing  them  with  the 
scales  of  the  sanctuary  and  riveting  thy  attention  upon 
the  divine  light  which  the  Almighty  infuses  in  thy  soul. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

OF  THE  WONDERS  WHICH  THE  INFANT  JESUS,  MOST  HOLY 
MARY  AND  JOSEPH  WROUGHT  AT  HEUOPOUS  IN 
EGYPT. 

664.  Isaias  says  that  the  Lord  shall  enter  Egypt  upon 
a  light  cloud  in  order  to  work  miracles  for  that  country. 
Isaias,  in  calling  the  most  holy  Mary,  or,  as  others  think, 
the  humanity  derived  from  Her,  a  cloud,  no  doubt 
wishes  to  indicate  that  the  Lord  was  to  fertilize  and 
water  the  barren  land  of  the  hearts  of  its  inhabitants,  in 
order  that  henceforth  they  might  produce  the  fruits  of 
sanctity  and  of  divine  knowledge.  And  so  it  really  hap- 
pened after  that  heavenly  cloud  had  overshadowed  this 
land.  For  immediately  the  belief  in  the  true  God  began 
to  spread,  and  idolatry  to  be  destroyed;  the  paths  of 
eternal  life  began  to  be  opened,  which  until  then  had  been 
held  closed  by  the  demons.  To  such  an  extent  was  all 
this  true  that  there  was  scarcely  any  province  in  that  land 
in  which  the  true  God  remained  unknown,  as  soon  as  the 
incarnate  Word  had  arrived  therein.  Although  some  of 
the  people  came  to  this  knowledge  through  intercourse 
with  the  Hebrews,  which  existed  between  these  two 
nations  at  that  time  (Kings  IV,  17,  24) ;  yet  a  great 
many  errors,  superstitions  and  worship  of  the  demons 
were  mixed  up  with  it;  just  as  was  the  case  with  the 
Babylonians,  who  at  another  time  came  to  live  in  Sa- 
maria. But  after  the  Sun  of  justice  began  to  illumine 
Egypt,  and  Mary  most  holy,  the  taintless  cloud,  began 
to  overshadow  that  land,  it  became  so  fertile  in  holiness 

568 


THE   INCARNATION  569 

and  grace  that  it  gave  forth  abundant  fruit  for  many 
centuries.  This  is  witnessed  by  the  many  saints  that 
lived  in  it  afterwards,  and  by  the  thousands  of  hermits 
that  made  its  mountains  gather  up  and  distil  such  sweet 
honey  of  sanctity  and  Christian  perfection. 

665.  As  I  said,  in  order  to  secure  these  blessings  to 
the  Egyptians,  the  Lord  took  his  dwelling  in  the  city  of 
Heliopolis.  As  it  was  so  full  of  idols,  temples  and  altars 
of  the  demons,  which  at  his  entrance  all  fell  to  the  dust 
with  great  crashing  and  noise,  the  whole  city  was  set  in 
commotion  and  confusion  by  the  suddenness  of  this  ruin 
(Is.  19,  1).  People  rushed  about  astonished  and  as  if 
crazed  in  mind;  curiosity  brought  to  the  newly  arrived 
strangers  numbers  of  men  and  women,  who  sought  to 
speak  to  the  great  Queen  and  saint  Joseph.  The  heavenly 
Mother,  who  was  aware  of  the  mysterious  designs  of 
God,  spoke  to  their  inmost  hearts  with  great  wisdom, 
prudence  and  sweetness.  They  were  filled  with  wonder 
at  her  incomparable  gentleness  and  her  exalted  teachings, 
which  undeceived  them  of  their  errors ;  and  as  She  imme- 
diately cured  some  of  their  sick.  She  quieted  and  en- 
couraged them  so  much  the  sooner.  These  miracles  were 
so  rapidly  noised  abroad  that  in  a  short  time  an  immense 
concourse  of  people  gathered  to  see  the  heavenly  Stran- 
gers; and  the  most  prudent  Lady  was  forced  to  consult 
her  most  holy  Son  as  to  her  further  conduct  toward  this 
great  multitude.  The  infant  God  told  Her  to  instruct 
them  in  the  knowledge  of  God,  teach  them  his  true  wor- 
ship, and  exhort  them  to  desist  from  sinful  life. 

666.  In  this  office  of  preaching  to  the  Egyptians,  and 
of  teaching  them,  our  heavenly  Princess  served  as  the 
instrument  of  her  most  holy  Son,  who  lent  power  to  her 
words.  The  effect  of  it  was  so  great  that  many  books 
would  be  required  to  describe  the  wonders  and  the  con- 


570  .  CITY   OF   GOD 

versions  of  souls  that  took  place  during  the  seven  years 
of  their  stay  in  this  province;  for  in  her  ministry  She 
was  filled  with  the  benedictions  of  sweetness  (Ps.  20,  4). 
Whenever  the  heavenly  Lady  listened  to  and  answered 
those  that  came  to  Her,  She  held  in  her  arms  the  Infant 
Jesus,  as  the  One  who  was  the  Author  of  all  the  graces 
to  be  dispensed  to  sinners.  She  spoke  to  each  one  in 
the  manner  suitable  to  his  capacity  and  serviceable  for 
teaching  him  the  doctrine  of  eternal  life.  She  enlight- 
ened them  concerning  the  Divinity  and  made  them  under- 
stand that  there  cannot  be  more  than  one  God.  She  ex- 
plained to  them  the  several  articles  of  truth  pertaining 
to  the  Creation  and  Redemption  of  the  world.  She  im- 
pressed upon  their  minds  the  commandments  of  the  deca- 
logue, founded  upon  the  natural  law;  and  She  showed 
them  the  manner  of  adoring  and  worshipping  God,  and 
how  they  were  to  expect  the  regeneration  of  the  human 
race. 

667.  Concerning  the  demons.  She  explained  how  they 
were  enemies  of  God  and  men;  how  deeply  they  kept 
men  in  error  by  their  idol-worship  and  the  false  answers 
of  their  oracles;  how  they  induced  men  to  commit  the 
vilest  abominations  and  afterwards  secretly  tempted  them 
by  exciting  the  disorderly  passions.  Although  the  Queen 
of  keaven  was  so  pure  and  free  from  all  that  is  imperfect, 
nevertheless,  for  the  glory  of  the  Most  High,  She  did 
not  deem  it  beneath  Her  to  speak  to  them  of  those  vile 
and  impure  excesses  in  which  all  Egypt  was  sunk.  She 
also  declared  to  them  that  the  Repairer  of  so  many  ills, 
v/ho  was  to  overcome  the  demons  as  it  was  written  of 
Him,  was  already  come  into  the  world,  although  She  did 
not  say  that  She  held  Him  in  her  arms.  In  order  that 
her  teachings  might  be  accepted  so  much  the  more  readily, 
and  the  truth  might  be  more  apparent,  She  confirmed  her 


THE   INCARNATION  571 

words  by  great  miracles,  curing  all  sorts  of  people  who 
were  sick  or  possessed  by  the  devil  and  who  came  from 
all  parts  of  the  country.  A  few  times  the  Queen  went  to 
the  infirmaries  and  conferred  admirable  blessings  upon 
the  sick.  Everywhere  She  consoled  the  sorrowful  and 
brought  relief  to  the  afflicted  and  the  unfortunate,  win- 
ning all  by  loving  kindness  and  beneficence  and  admon- 
ishing them  with  sweet  earnestness. 

668.  In  regard  to  the  cure  of  the  sick  and  wounded 
the  heavenly  Lady  hesitated  between  two  different  senti- 
ments :  the  one  of  charity,  which  drew  Her  to  nurse  the 
wounded  with  her  own  hand,  and  the  other  of  modesty, 
which  forbade  Her  to  touch  anyone.  In  order  that  all 
propriety  might  be  observed,  her  most  holy  Son  empow- 
ered Her  to  cure  the  men  by  her  mere  word  and  'exhorta- 
tions; while  She  might  cure  the  women  by  the  touch 
of  her  hands  and  cleansing  their  wounds.  This  course 
of  action  She  maintained  thenceforward,  taking  upon 
Herself  as  well  the  office  of  a  mother  as  of  a  sick-nurse, 
respectively.  But,  as  I  will  narrate,  after  they  had  lived 
two  years  in  that  place,  saint  Joseph  also  began  to  cure 
the  sick,  while  the  matchless  charity  of  the  Queen  busied 
itself  more  particularly  with  the  cure  of  the  women. 
Though  She  was  Herself  endowed  with  such  unsullied 
purity,  free  from  all  infirmities  and  sufferings,  yet  She 
hesitated  not  to  tend  their  festering  ulcers  and  apply  with 
her  own  hands  the  coverings  and  bandages  required.  All 
this  She  did  with  such  tender  compassion,  as  if  She  her- 
self were  afflicted  with  their  misfortunes.  Sometimes  it 
happened  that,  in  order  to  relieve  and  cure  the  poor.  She 
asked  permission  of  her  divine  Son  to  place  Him  in  the 
csadle;  thus  permitting  the  Lord  of  the  poor  to  witness 
in  another  way  the  loving  charity  of  this  humble  Lady. 
But  in  all  these  occupations  and  cures  (O  wonderful  to 


572  CITY   OF   GOD 

relate!)  this  most  modest  Mistress  never  looked  upon 
the  face  of  either  man  or  woman.  Even  when  the  wound 
was  in  the  face,  her  modesty  was  so  exquisite  that  She 
would  not  have  been  able  to  recognize  any  of  her  patients 
by  their  features  if  She  had  not  known  all  men  by  another 
interior  kind  of  vision. 

669.  On  account  of  the  excessive  heat  prevailing-  in 
Egypt,  and  on  account  of  many  disorders  rampant  among 
the  people,  the  distempers  of  the  Egyptians  were  wide- 
spread and  grievous.  During  the  years  of  the  stay  of 
the  Infant  Jesus  and  his  most  holy  Mother,  pestilence 
devastated  Heliopolis  and  other  places.  On  this  account, 
and  on  account  of  the  report  of  their  wonderful  deeds, 
multitudes  of  people  came  to  them  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  and  returned  home  cured  in  body  and  soul.  In 
order  that  the  grace  of  the  Lord  might  flow  more  abun- 
dantly, and  in  order  that  his  kindest  Mother  might  have 
assistance  in  her  works  of  mercy,  God,  at  the  instance 
of  the  heavenly  Mistress,  ordained  saint  Joseph  as  her 
helper  in  the  teaching  and  healing  of  the  infirm.  For 
this  purpose  he  was  endowed  with  new  light  and  power 
of  healing.  The  holy  Mary  began  to  make  use  of  his 
assistance  in  the  third  year  of  their  stay  in  Eg^^pt;  so 
that  now  he  ordinarily  taught  and  cured  the  men,  while 
the  blessed  Lady  attended  to  the  women.  Incredible  was 
the  fruit  resulting  from  their  labors  in  the  souls  of  men ; 
for  her  uninterrupted  beneficence  and  the  gracious  efficacy 
of  her  words  drew  all  toward  our  Queen,  and  her  modesty 
and  holiness  filled  them  with  devoted  love.  They  offered 
Her  many  presents  and  large  possessions,  anxious  to  see 
Her  make  use  of  them:  but  never  did  She  receive  any- 
thing for  Herself,  or  reserve  it  for  her  own  use ;  for  they 
continued  to  provide  for  their  wants  by  the  labor  of  her 
hands  and  the  earnings  of  saint  Joseph.    When  at  times 


THE    INCARNATION  573 

the  blessed  Lady  was  oflfered  some  gift  that  seemed  serv- 
iceable and  proper  for  helping  the  needy  and  the  poor, 
She  would  accept  it  for  that  purpose.  Only  with  this 
understanding  would  She  ever  yield  to  the  pious  and 
affectionate  importunities  of  devout  persons;  and  even 
then  She  often  made  them  a  present  in  return  of  things 
made  by  her  own  hands.  From  what  I  have  related  we 
can  form  some  idea  how  great  and  how  numerous  were 
the  miracles  wrought  by  the  holy  Family  during  their 
seven  years'  stay  in  Egypt  and  Heliopolis;  for  it  would 
be  impossible    to  enumerate  and  describe  all  of  them. 

INSTRUCTION    VOUCHSAFED    TO    ME    BY    THE    QUEEN    OE 
HEAVEN,    MOST    H0I.Y    MARY. 

670.  My  daughter,  thou  art  full  of  wonder  at  the 
works  of  mercy  which  I  exercised  in  Egypt,  curing  the 
sick  of  their  infirmities  and  helping  the  poor  in  their 
necessities,  in  order  to  relieve  them  in  body  and  soul. 
Thou  wilt  be  able  to  understand  how  all  this  comported 
with  my  love  of  modesty  and  retirement,  when  thou 
takest  into  consideration  the  immense  love  that  urged 
my  most  holy  Son  to  hasten  immediately  after  his  birth 
to  the  assistance  of  these  people  and  pour  out  over  them 
his  immense  love  in  his  longings  for  their  salvation. 
This  love  He  communicated  to  me,  and  thus  made  me 
an  instrument  of  his  power,  or  I  should  not  have  dared 
to  enter  upon  such  a  great  enterprise.  For  though  I 
always  preferred  to  abstain  from  speaking  or  communi- 
cating with  others,  yet  the  will  of  my  Son  and  Lord  gov- 
erned me  in  all  things.  Of  thee,  my  friend,  I  desire,  that 
in  imitation  of  me,  thou  work  for  the  benefit  and  salva- 
tion of  thy  neighbors,  seeking  to  follow  me  in  the  per- 
fection and  quality  of  my  works.     Thou  needst  not  seek 


574  CITY   OF   GOD 

occasions,  for  the  Lord  will  send  them.  In  some  extraor- 
dinary circumstances,  however,  thou  mayst  find  it  ad- 
visable to  offer  thy  services.  But  seek  to  exert  thy 
influence  upon  all,  teach  and  exhort  them  according  to 
thy  light;  not  presuming  to  take  upon  thyself  the  office 
of  a  teacher,  but  of  one  that  seeks  to  console,  and  one 
that  pities  the  hardships  of  her  brothers ;  as  one  who  with 
much  reserve  and  humility  and  with  great  charity  seeks 
to  exhort  them  to  patience. 

671.  As  for  those  under  thy  charge,  exhort  and  reprove 
them,  govern  and  direct  them  to  greater  and  greater  per- 
fection of  virtue  and  to  fulfill  the  divine  pleasure.  For 
next  to  seeking  thy  own  perfection,  God  wills  that  thou 
encourage  and  teach  those  under  thy  charge  according 
to  power  and  graces  given  to  thee.  Pray  without  ceasing 
for  those  to  whom  thou  canst  not  speak;  thus  extend- 
ing thy  charity  towards  all  men.  Since  thou  canst  not 
go  outside  to  tend  the  sick,  make  up  for  it  by  taking  care 
of  those  living  with  thee,  zealously  serving  them  per- 
sonally in  whatever  pertains  to  their  comfort  and  wants. 
Do  not  consider  thyself  above  this  service  because  thou 
art  their  superioress ;  for  on  this  very  account  thou  must 
act  as  their  mother  and  show  thy  loving  care  as  such 
toward  all,  while  in  other  things  thou  must  interiorly 
esteem  thyself  below  them.  Since  the  world  ordinarily 
leaves  the  care  of  the  sick  to  the  most  poor  and  despised, 
simply  because  it  does  not  know  the  high  value  of  this 
service ;  therefore  I,  too,  assign  to  thee  as  to  one  who  is 
poor  and  the  least  of  all,  this  office  of  tending  the  sick,  in 
order  that  thou  mayest  follow  me  in  the  performance  of  it. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

HEROD  RESOLVES  TO  MURDER  THE  INNOCENTS:  MOST 
HOLY  MARY  IS  AWARE  OF  THIS.  SAINT  JOHN  IS  CON- 
CEALED BY  HIS  RELATIVES. 

672.  We  will  now  leave  the  Infant  Jesus,  most  holy 
Mary  and  Joseph  in  the  work  of  sanctifying  Egypt  by 
their  beneficent  presence,  and  return  to  Judea,  which  was 
unworthy  of  it.  Thus  we  will  understand  the  course  of 
the  devilish  cunning  and  hypocrisy  of  Herod.  That 
wicked  king  was  waiting  for  the  message  of  the  Magi 
concerning  the  newly  born  King  of  the  Jews,  ready  to 
devote  Him  to  an  inhuman  death.  He  trusted  for  a 
while  to  his  own  cunning,  until  his  anxiety  caused  him 
to  inquire.  But  when  he  was  informed  of  their  stay  in 
Bethlehem,  their  departure,  their  escape  from  Palestine 
on  a  different  route,  and  of  other  happenings  in  the 
temple,  he  awoke  to  the  fact  that  he  had  been  foiled  in 
his  purpose.  He  consulted  anew  some  of  the  experts  of 
the  Law;  and  as  their  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures 
concerning  Bethlehem  and  the  happenings  at  Bethlehem 
coincided  with  his  suspicions,  he  ordered  a  strict  search 
to  be  made  for  our  Queen,  her  Child  and  the  glorious 
saint  Joseph.  But  the  Lord,  who  had  commanded  their 
flight  from  Jerusalem  in  the  night,  also  concealed  them 
on  their  journey,  so  that  there  was  none  that  knew  any- 
thing of  it,  or  that  could  discover  a  trace  of  their  flight. 
Not  being  able  to  find  Them,  and  no  one  having  any 
knowledge  of  Them,  the  henchmen  of  Herod  brought 

575 


576  CITY   OF   GOD 

back  the  answer  that  no  such  man,  woman  or  child  could 
be  found  in  the  whole  country. 

673.  This  inflamed  the  fury  of  Herod  (Matth.  2,  16) 
and  increased  his  anxiety ;  in  vain  he  sought  some  means 
to  prevent  the  evil  threatening  Him  from  a  rival  King. 
But  the  devil,  who  knew  him  to  be  ready  for  any  wick- 
edness, stirred  up  in  his  heart  the  enormous  thought  of 
using  his  royal  power  to  murder  all  the  children  under 
two  years  of  age  around  Bethlehem.  For  in  that  way 
the  King  of  the  Jews,  recently  born  there,  would  in- 
evitably be  murdered  among  them.  The  tyrant  was  highly 
satisfied  with  this  scheme,  which  never  yet  had  been 
thought  of  by  any  even  the  greatest  barbarian;  and  he 
set  about  its  execution  without  any  of  the  aversion  of 
horror  that  it  was  apt  to  excite  in  other  rational  beings. 
Having  studied  out  his  wrathful  plans  to  his  satisfaction, 
he  ordered  some  troops  to  be  gathered  in  that  region  and 
privately  instructed  some  of  the  more  intimate  of  his 
officers  under  severe  penalties  to  kill  all  the  children 
under  two  years  in  Bethlehem  and  its  vicinity.  The  com- 
mand of  Herod  was  executed  and  the  whole  country  was 
filled  with  confusion  and  wailing,  and  with  the  tears  of 
the  parents  and  of  the  other  relations  of  the  innocent 
victims,  who  were  thus  doomed  without  any  possibility 
of  resistance  or  prevention. 

674.  This  command  of  Herod  was  issued  six  months 
after  the  birth  of  the  Savior.  When  it  began  to  be  exe- 
cuted the  great  Queen  happened  to  hold  her  divine  Son 
in  her  arms,  lost  in  contemplation  of  his  most  holy  Soul. 
Looking  into  it  as  into  a  clear  mirror.  She  saw  all  that 
passed  in  Bethlehem  more  clearly  than  if  She  herself 
had  been  present  to  hear  the  wailing  of  the  children  and 
the  parents.  She  saw  also  how  her  Son  prayed  to  his 
eternal  Father  for  the  parents  of  these  innocents;  that 


THE   INCARNATION  577 

He  offered  up  the  murdered  children  as  the  first  fruits 
of  his  own  Death ;  asking  Him  also  that  they  receive  the 
use  of  reason,  in  order  that  they  might  be  a  willing  sac- 
rifice for  their  Redeemer  and  accept  their  death  for  his 
glory.  Thus  He  would  be  able  to  reward  them  with  the 
crowns  of  martyrdom  for  what  they  suffered.  All  this 
the  eternal  Father  granted,  and  as  it  was  made  known 
to  the  Queen  in  her  Onlybegotten  Son,  She  joined  Him 
in  his  prayers  and  sacrifices.  She  also  pitied  the  parents 
of  the  martyred  infants  in  their  heartrending  tears  and 
sorrows  for  their  sons.  She,  indeed,  was  the  first  and 
true  Rachel  weeping  for  the  children  in  Bethlehem 
(Jer.  31,  15) ;  and  there  was  no  mother  who  sorrowed 
for  them  as  She  did,  since  no  one  could  be  such  a  Mother 
as  She  was  to  them. 

675.  She  did  not  know  at  the  time  what  saint  Elisabeth 
had  done  in  order  to  safeguard  her  son  John  pursuant  to 
the  warning  of  the  angel  sent  to  her  by  the  Queen  Her- 
self, as  narrated  in  the  twenty-second  chapter.  Although 
She  had  no  doubt  as  to  the  fulfillment  of  all  the  mysteries 
known  to  Her  concerning  the  Precursor  by  divine  en- 
lightenment, yet  She  was  uncertain  of  the  troubles  and 
anxieties  caused  to  saint  Elisabeth  and  her  son,  and  of 
the  manner  in  which  they  had  forestalled  the  cruelty  of 
Herod.  The  sweetest  Mother  did  not  presume  to  ask 
her  divine  Son  concerning  this  event,  on  account  of  the 
prudence  and  reverence  always  observed  by  Her  in  regard 
to  such  revelations ;  for  in  her  humility  and  patience  She 
counted  Herself  as  unworthy  and  as  dust  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord.  But  the  Almighty  took  notice  of  her  pious 
and  compassionate  desires  and  informed  Her  that 
Zachary,  the  father  of  saint  John,  had  died  four  months 
after  her  virginal  parturition  and  about  three  months 
after  She  had  left  Jerusalem.     The  widowed  saint  Elisa- 


578  CITY   OF   GOD 

beth  now  had  no  other  company  than  that  of  her  son  John, 
with  whom  she  was  passing  the  days  of  her  widowhood 
in  a  retired  and  secluded  place.  For  on  account  of  the 
warning  of  the  angel,  and  knowing  of  the  cruel  dispo- 
sition of  Herod,  she  had  resolved  to  flee  to  the  desert 
with  her  child  and  live  there  in  the  company  of  wild 
beasts  rather  than  within  the  dangerous  reach  of  Herod. 
This  resolve  she  had  taken  with  the  approbation  of  the 
Most  High  and,  guided  by  his  impulse,  She  was  now 
hidden  in  a  cave  or  cleft  of  the  rock  where,  with  great 
hardship  and  difficulty,  she  obtained  sustenance  for  her- 
self and  her  son. 

676.  The  heavenly  Lady  also  knew  that  saint  Elisa- 
beth, after  three  years  of  this  solitary  life,  died  in  the 
Lord ;  that  saint  John  remained  in  the  desert,  commencing 
to  live  an  angelic  life,  and  that  he  was  not  to  leave  his 
solitude  until  he  should  be  commanded  by  the  Almighty  to 
preach  penance  as  his  Precursor.  These  sacraments  and 
mysteries  the  Infant  Jesus  manifested  to  his  most  holy 
Mother  with  many  other  hidden  and  profound  blessings 
conferred  upon  saint  Elisabeth  and  her  son  in  that  desert. 
All  this  She  perceived  in  the  same  way  as  She  now  per- 
ceived the  death  of  the  innocent  children.  It  filled  Her 
with  joy  and  compassion ;  the  one  because  She  saw  saint 
John  and  his  mother  in  safety,  the  other,  on  account  of 
the  hardships  to  which  they  were  exposed  in  the  desert. 
She  immediately  asked  of  her  most  holy  Son  permission 
to  take  care  thenceforward  of  Elisabeth  and  her  son. 
From  that  time  on  She  frequently  sent  her  holy  angels 
to  visit  them  with  the  consent  of  the  Lord ;  and  through 
them  also  She  sent  them  provisions,  which  afforded  them 
better  sustenance  than  they  could  find  in  the  wild  abode. 
Through  these  angelic  messengers  the  holy  Lady  kept  up 
a  continual  intercourse  with  her  relatives  during  her  stay 


THE   INCARNATION  579 

in  Egypt.  When  the  last  hour  of  Elisabeth  arrived,  Mary 
sent  her  a  great  number  of  angels  to  assist  her  and  her 
child,  who  was  then  four  years  old.  These  angels  also 
helped  saint  John  to  bury  his  mother  in  the  desert. 
Thereupon  the  Queen  sent  to  him  every  day  his  suste- 
nance, until  he  was  of  sufficient  age  to  provide  for  his 
living  by  his  own  labors  and  exertions  in  gathering  herbs, 
roots  and  woodland  honey  (Mark  1,  6) ;  of  these  thence- 
forward he  lived  in  admirable  abstinence,  as  I  shall  relate 
farther  on. 

677.  Neither  the  tongue  of  creatures  can  describe,  nor 
intellect  comprehend,  the  vast  merits  and  increase  of 
sanctity  accumulating  in  the  most  holy  Mary  through 
these  continued  and  wonderful  works;  for  in  all  things 
She  acted  with  a  prudence  more  than  angelic.  What 
moved  Her  to  the  greatest  admiration,  love  and  praise  of 
the  Almighty  was  to  see  how,  at  the  intercession  of  Her- 
self and  her  Son  for  the  holy  Innocents,  his  providence 
showed  itself  so  liberal  toward  them.  She  knew  as  if 
She  were  present  the  great  number  of  children  that  were 
killed  and  that  all  of  them,  though  some  were  only  eight 
days,  two  or  six  months  old,  and  none  of  them  over  two 
years,  had  the  use  of  their  reason ;  that  they  all  received 
a  high  knowledge  of  the  being  of  God,  perfect  love,  faith 
and  hope,  in  which  they  performed  heroic  acts  of 
faith,  worship,  and  love  of  God,  reverence  and  compas- 
sion for  their  parents.  They  prayed  for  their  parents 
and,  in  reward  for  their  sufferings,  obtained  for  them 
light  and  grace  for  advance  in  spiritual  things.  They 
willingly  submitted  to  martyrdom,  in  spite  of  the  tender- 
ness of  their  age,  which  made  their  sufferings  so  much 
the  greater  and  consequently  augmented  their  merits.  A 
multitude  of  angels  assisted  them  and  bore  them  to  limbo 
or  to  the  bosom  of  Abraham.     By  their  arrival  they 


580  CITY  OF  GOD 

rejoiced  the  holy  ancients  and  confirmed  them  in  the  hope 
ol  Speedy  liberation.  All  these  were  effects  of  the  prayers 
o£  the  divine  Child  and  his  Mother.  Aware  of  all  these 
wonders,  She  was  inflamed  with  ardor  and  exclaimed: 
"Praise  the  Lord,  ye  children";  and  joined  with  them  in 
the  praise  of  the  Author  of  these  magnificent  works,  so 
worthy  of  his  Goodness  and  Omnipotence.  Mary  alone 
knew  of  them  and  appreciated  them  properly.  And  She, 
so  closely  allied  to  God  himself,  perfectly  reached  the 
degree  of  humility  required  for  such  appreciation;  for 
though  She  was  the  Mother  of  innocence,  purity  and 
sanctity.  She  humiliated  Herself  more  than  all  creatures 
with  all  their  faults  will  ever  know  how  to  humiliate 
themselves.  Among  all  creatures  most  holy  Mary  reached 
a  degree  of  humility  peculiar  to  Herself,  which  fully 
equalled  the  high  blessings  and  gifts  received  by  all  other 
creatures;  for  She  alone  comprehended  fully  how  insuf- 
ficient is  the  return  the  creature  can  make  for  all  the 
blessings  flowing  from  the  boundless  love  of  God. 
Knowing  that  without  this  humility  no  act  of  a  creature 
can  be  worthy  of  a  God,  She  reached  the  height  of  all 
perfection  by  making  all  her  acts  serve  as  a  grateful 
return  for  benefits  received. 

678.  At  the  end  of  this  chapter  I  wish  to  draw  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  in  many  things  which  I  am  describing, 
a  great  diversity  of  opinion  exists  among  the  holy  fathers 
and  writers ;  as,  for  instance,  in  regard  to  the  time  of  the 
slaughter  of  the  innocent  children,  or  whether  also  the 
new-born  children  or  those  that  were  only  a  few  days 
old  were  included  in  the  slaughter,  or  concerning  other 
doubtful  points,  about  which  I  will  not  speak,  since  they 
are  not  necessary  to  my  purpose.  I  write  only  what  is 
being  shown  or  dictated  to  me,  or  about  which  obedience 
forces  me  to  ask,  in  order  that  this  history  may  be  more 


THE   INCARNATION  581 

dear.  It  will  not  do  to  start  a  dispute  concerning  what 
I  write;  for  from  the  beginning  I  said,  that  the  Lord 
wishes  this  whole  work  to  be  free  from  mere  opinion  and 
to  contain  nothing  but  what  is  taught  me  by  the  divine 
light.  To  decide  whether  that  which  I  write  is  in  har- 
mony with  the  truth  of  holy  Scriptures,  or  befits  the 
majesty  and  grandeur  of  my  subject,  or  whether  the 
events  narrated  bear  the  necessary  sequence  or  connec- 
tion :  all  this  I  leave  to  the  learning  of  my  teachers  and 
superiors  and  to  the  judgment  of  the  wise  and  pious. 
Variety  of  opinion  is  as  it  were  inevitable  among  the 
writers  on  these  subjects,  since  they  are  guided  by  dif- 
ferent authors,  and  are  each  following  those  of  the 
ancient  authors  that  satisfy  them  best;  yet  more  than  a 
few  of  the  old  authors  (if  we  except  the  events  related 
in  the  canonical  writings)  relied  only  on  conjecture  or 
on  doubtful  sources.  I,  as  an  ignorant  woman,  cannot 
enter  upon  such  discussions. 

INSTRUCTION    VOUCHSAFED    BY   THE  QUEEN    OP    HEAVEN, 
MOST    HOLY    MARY. 

679.  My  daughter,  in  what  thou  hast  written  I  wish 
that  thou  learn  a  lesson  from  the  very  sorrow  and  appre- 
hension with  which  thou  hast  performed  this  task.  Well- 
founded  is  thy  sorrow  to  see  how  such  a  noble  creature 
as  man,  made  according  to  the  likeness  and  image  of  the 
Lord,  endowed  with  such  divine  qualities,  and  gifted  with 
the  power  of  knowing,  loving,  seeing,  and  enjoying  God 
eternally,  should  allow  himself  to  be  degraded  and  defiled 
by  such  brutal  and  abominable  passions  as  to  shed  the 
innocent  blood  of  those  who  can  do  no  harm  to  any  one. 
This  should  induce  thee  to  weep  over  the  ruin  of  so 
many  souls;  especially  in  the  times  in  which  thou  livest, 

38 


582  CITY  OF  GOD 

when  that  same  ambition  which  incited  Herod,  has 
kindled  such  great  hatred  and  enmity  among  the  children 
of  the  Church,  occasioning  the  ruin  of  countless  souls  and 
causing  the  waste  and  loss  of  the  blood  of  my  most  holy 
Son,  poured  out  for  the  salvation  of  men.  Do  thou 
bitterly  deplore  this  loss. 

680.  But  likewise  be  warned  by  what  thou  hast  seen 
in  others ;  ponder  the  effects  of  passions  admitted  into  the 
heart ;  for  if  once  they  have  mastered  the  heart,  they  will 
either  smother  it  in  lust  when  it  finds  success,  or  consume 
it  with  wrath  at  meeting  any  opposition.  Fear  thou,  my 
daughter,  this  danger,  not  only  on  account  of  the  results 
thou  seest  of  ambition  in  Herod,  but  also  on  account  of 
what  thou  seest  going  on  every  hour  in  other  persons. 
Be  very  careful  not  to  allow  thyself  to  be  mastered  by 
anything,  be  it  ever  so  small;  for  in  order  to  start  a  great 
conflagration  the  smallest  spark  is  sufficient.  I  have 
often  repeated  to  thee  this  same  warning,  and  I  shall 
continue  to  do  so  more  often  in  the  future;  for  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  practicing  virtue  consists  in  dying 
to  all  that  is  pleasurable  to  the  senses.  Thou  canst  not 
be  a  fit  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord,  such  as  He 
desires  thee  to  be,  if  thou  dost  not  cleanse  thy  faculties 
even  of  the  images  of  all  creatures,  so  that  they  do  not 
find  entrance  into  thy  desires.  I  wish  it  to  be  to  thee 
an  inexorable  law  that  all  things,  except  God,  his  angels 
and  saints,  be  to  thee  as  if  they  did  not  exist.  These 
should  be  thy  sole  possession;  on  this  account  the  Lord 
has  opened  to  thee  his  secrets,  honors  thee  with  his 
familiarity  and  intimacy,  and  for  this  purpose  also  do  I 
honor  thee  with  mine,  that  thou  neither  live  nor  wish  to 
live  without  the  Lord. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

AT  THE  AGE  Olf  ONE  YEAR  THE  INEANT  JESUS  SPEAKS 
TO  SAINT  JOSEPH  AND  REQUESTS  HIS  MOTHER  TO 
CLOTHE  HIM  AND  ALUDW  HIM  TO  WALK.  HE  COM- 
MENCES TO  CELEBRATE  THE  DAY  OE  HIS  INCARNA- 
TION AND  OF  HIS  BIRTH. 

681.  During  one  of  the  conversations  of  Mary  with 
Joseph  concerning  the  mysteries  of  the  Lord,  the  Infant 
Jesus,  having  reached  the  age  of  one  year,  resolved  to 
break  the  silence  and  speak  in  plain  words  to  Joseph, 
who  so  faithfully  fulfilled  the  duties  of  a  foster-father. 
As  I  have  already  mentioned  in  chapter  the  tenth.  He 
had  thus  conversed  with  his  heavenly  Mother  from  the 
time  of  his  Birth.  The  two  holy  Spouses  were  speaking 
of  the  infinite  being  of  God,  of  his  goodness  and  ex- 
cessive love,  which  induced  Him  to  send  his  Onlybegotten 
Son  as  the  Teacher  and  Savior  of  men,  clothing  Him  in 
human  form  in  order  that  He  might  converse  with  them 
and  suffer  the  punishments  of  their  depraved  natures. 
Saint  Joseph  was  lost  in  wonder  at  the  works  of  the  Lord 
and  inflamed  by  affectionate  gratitude  and  exaltation  of 
the  Lord.  Seizing  upon  this  occasion  the  infant  God, 
resting  upon  the  arms  of  his  Mother  as  upon  the  seat 
of  wisdom,  began  to  speak  to  saint  Joseph  in  an  intel- 
ligible voice,  saying:  "My  father,  I  came  from  heaven 
upon  this  earth  in  order  to  be  the  light  of  the  world,  and 
in  order  to  rescue  it  from  darkness  of  sin;  in  order  to 
seek  and  know  my  sheep  as  a  good  Shepherd,  to  give 
them  nourishment  of  eternal  life,  teach  them  the  way  of 

583 


584  CITY   OF   GOD 

heaven,  open  its  gates,  which  had  been  closed  by  their 
sins.  I  desire  that  you  both  be  children  of  the  Light, 
which  you  have  so  close  at  hand." 

682.  These  words  of  the  Infant  Jesus,  being  full  of 
divine  life,  filled  the  heart  of  the  patriarch  saint  Joseph 
with  new  love,  reverence  and  joy.  He  fell  on  his  knees 
before  the  infant  God  with  the  profoundest  humility  and 
thanked  Him  for  having  called  Him  "father"  by  the  very 
first  word  spoken  to  him.  He  besought  the  Lord  with 
many  tears  to  enlighten  him  and  enable  him  to  fulfill 
entirely  his  most  holy  will,  to  teach  him  to  be  thankful 
for  the  incomparable  benefits  flowing  from  his  generous 
hands.  Parents  who  love  their  children  very  much  are 
touched  with  consolation  and  pride  to  see  their  children 
show  great  signs  of  wisdom  and  virtue;  and  even  when 
this  is  not  the  case,  they  are  naturally  inclined  to  extol  and 
make  much  of  their  childish  pranks  and  sayings;  for  all 
this  is  the  result  of  their  tender  affection  for  their  young 
offspring.  Although  saint  Joseph  was  not  the  natural, 
but  the  foster-father  of  Jesus,  his  love  for  Him  exceeded 
by  far  all  the  love  of  parents  for  their  children,  since  in 
him  grace,  or  even  natural  love,  was  more  powerful  than 
in  others,  yea  than  in  all  the  parents  together.  Hence 
the  joy  of  his  soul  is  to  be  measured  by  this  love  and 
appreciation  of  saint  Joseph  as  being  the  foster-father  of 
the  Infant  Jesus.  For  he  at  the  same  time  heard  himself 
called  the  father  of  the  Son  of  the  eternal  J^ather,  and 
saw  Him  so  beautiful  in  grace,  while  listening  to  such 
exalted  wisdom  and  knowledge  in  the  Child. 

683.  During  the  whole  of  this  first  year  his  sweetest 
Mother  had  wrapped  the  infant  God  in  clothes  and  cover- 
ings usual  with  other  children;  for  He  did  not  wish  to 
be  distinguished  in  this  from  others,  and  He  wished  to 


THE   INCARNATION  585' 

bear  witness  to  his  true  humanity  and  to  his  love  for 
mortals,  enduring  this  inconvenience  otherwise  not  re- 
quired of  Him.  The  most  prudent  Mother,  judging  that 
now  the  time  had  come  to  free  Him  from  swaddling- 
clothes  and  place  Him  on  his  feet,  knelt  down  before  the 
Child  in  its  cradle  and  said :  "My  Son  and  sweetest  Love 
of  my  soul,  my  Lord,  I  desire,  as  thy  slave,  to  be  punctual 
in  fulfilling  thy  wishes.  O,  Light  of  my  eyes,  Thou  hast 
been  for  a  long  time  oppressed  by  the  swaddling-clothes 
and  thereby  gone  to  the  extreme  of  thy  love  for  men ;  it 
is  time  Thou  change  this  manner.  Tell  me,  my  Master, 
what  shall  I  do  to  place  Thee  on  thy  feet?" 

684.  "My  Mother,"  answered  the  Infant  Jesus,  "on 
account  of  the  love  which  I  bear  toward  man,  whom  I 
have  created  and  come  to  redeem,  the  swathings  of  my 
childhood  have  not  seemed  irksome  to  Me,  since  when  I 
shall  be  grown  up  I  shall  be  bound  and  delivered  over 
to  my  enemies  unto  death  (Matth.  20,  18).  If  this 
prospect  is  sweet  to  Me  for  the  love  of  my  Father 
(Heb.  10,  71)  all  the  rest  is  certainly  easy  to  Me.  I 
wish  to  possess  only  one  garment  during  all  my  life,  for 
I  seek  nothing  more  than  what  is  sufficient  to  cover  Me. 
Although  all  created  things  are  mine  because  I  have  given 
them  being,  I  turn  them  all  over  to  men  in  order  that  they 
may  owe  Me  so  much  the  more  and  in  order  that  I  may 
teach  them,  according  to  my  example  and  for  my  love, 
to  repudiate  and  despise  all  that  is  superfluous  for  natural 
life.  Clothe  Me,  my  Mother,  in  a  tunic  of  a  lowly  and 
ordinary  color.  This  alone  will  I  wear,  and  it  shall  grow 
with  Me.  Over  this  garment  shall  they  cast  lots  at  my 
death  (Ps.  21,  19)  ;  for  even  this  shall  not  be  left  at  my 
disposal,  but  at  the  disposal  of  others;  so  that  men  shall 
see  that  I  was  born  and  wish  to  live  poor  and  destitute 


586  CITY   OF   GOD 

of  visible  things,  which  being  earthly,  oppress  and  darken 
the  heart  of  man.  At  the  very  moment  of  my  concep- 
tion in  thy  virginal  womb  I  made  this  renunciation  and 
abdication  of  all  that  is  contained  in  the  world,  though  all 
is  mine  on  account  of  the  union  of  my  human  nature  with 
the  divine.  I  shall  not  have  anything  to  do  with  visible 
things  except  to  offer  them  up  to  the  eternal  Father,  re- 
nouncing them  for  his  love,  and  making  use  of  only  so 
much  as  is  sufificient  to  sustain  my  natural  life,  which  I 
will  afterwards  yield  up  for  man's  sake.  By  this  example 
I  wish  to  impress  upon  the  world  the  doctrine  that  it  must 
love  poverty  and  not  despise  it ;  for  I,  who  am  the  Lord 
of  the  whole  world,  entirely  repudiated  and  rejected  its 
possessions.  Those  who  know  Me  by  faith  should  be 
filled  with  confusion  at  seeing  themselves  desire  what  I 
taught  them  to  despise." 

685.  The  words  of  the  divine  Child  produced  in  the 
heart  of  the  heavenly  Mother  diverse  wonderful  effects. 
The  allusion  to  the  seizure  and  death  of  her  most  holy 
Son  transfixed  her  pure  and  compassionate  heart,  and 
the  doctrine  and  example  of  such  extreme  poverty  and 
destitution  excited  her  admiration  and  urged  Her  to  its 
imitation.  His  boundless  love  for  mortals  inflamed  Her 
with  loving  gratitude  toward  the  Lx)rd  and  produced  in 
Her  heroic  acts  of  many  virtues.  Seeing  that  the  Child 
Jesus  desired  no  footgear  and  only  one  garment,  She 
said  to  Him :  "My  Son  and  my  Lord,  thy  Mother  has 
not  the  heart  to  allow  Thee  to  go  barefoot  upon  the 
ground  at  thy  tender  age ;  permit  me,  my  Love,  to  pro- 
vide some  kind  of  covering  to  protect  them.  I  also  fear 
that  the  rough  garment,  which  Thou  askest  of  me,  will 
wound  thy  tender  body,  if  thou  permit  no  linen  to  be 
worn  beneath."     "My  Mother,  I  will  permit  a  slight  and 


THE   INCARNATION  587 

ordinary  covering-  for  my  feet  until  the  time  of  my  public 
preaching  shall  come,  for  this  I  must  do  barefooted. 
But  I  do  not  wish  to  wear  linen,  because  it  foments  carnal 
pleasures,  and  is  the  cause  of  many  vices  in  men.  I  wish 
to  teach  many  by  my  example  to  renounce  it  for  love  and 
imitation  of  Me." 

686.  Immediately  the  great  Queen  set  diligently  about 
fulfilling  the  will  of  her  most  holy  Son.  Procuring  some 
wool  in  its  natural  and  uncolored  state,  She  spun  it  very 
finely  with  her  own  hands  and  of  it  She  wove  a  garment 
of  one  piece  and  without  any  seam,  similar  to  knitted 
stuff,  or  rather  like  twilled  cloth ;  for  it  was  woven  of 
twisted  cords,  not  like  smooth-woven  goods.  She  wove 
it  upon  a  small  loom,  by  meshes,  crocheting  it  of  one 
seamless  piece  in  a  mysterious  manner  (John  19,  23). 
Two  things  were  wonderful  about  it :  that  it  was  entirely 
even  and  uniform,  without  any  seams,  and  that,  at  her 
request,  the  natural  color  was  changed  to  a  more  suitable 
one,  which  was  a  mixture  of  brown  and  a  most  exquisite 
silver-gray,  so  that  it  could  not  be  called  either,  appearing 
to  be  neither  altogether  brown,  nor  silvery,  nor  gray,  but 
having  a  mixture  of  them  all.  She  also  wove  a  pair  of 
sandals  of  strong  thread,  like  hempen  shoes,  with  which 
She  covered  the  feet  of  the  infant  God.  Besides  these 
She  made  a  half  tunic  of  linen,  which  was  to  serve  as 
an  undergarment.  In  the  next  chapter  I  shall  tell  what 
happened  when  She  clothed  the  Infant  Jesus. 

687.  At  this  time  occurred  the  anniversary  of  the  In- 
carnation and  of  the  Nativity  of  the  divine  Word,  both 
of  them  when  they  had  already  settled  in  Egypt.  The 
celestial  Queen  celebrated  these  feasts,  so  joyous  for  the 
Mother  of  God,  commencing  a  custom  observed  by  Her 
during  all  the  rest  of  her  life,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  third 


588  CITY   OF   GOD 

part,  which  treats  about  the  mysteries  happening  later  on. 
She  began  to  prepare  for  the  feast  of  the  Incarnation 
nine  days  before,  in  accordance  with  the  nine  days  of 
preparation,  in  which  She  had  been  visited  with  such 
admirable  and  magnificent  graces.  At  the  anniversary 
of  the  Incarnation  or  Annunciation  She  invited  all  the 
angels  of  heaven,  together  with  those  of  her  guard,  to  as- 
sist Her  in  the  celebration  of  those  great  mysteries  and  to 
help  Her  to  acknowledge  and  give  worthy  thanks  to  the 
Almighty.  Prostrate  before  the  Infant  in  the  form  of 
a  cross,  She  besought  Him  to  praise  in  her  stead  the 
eternal  Father  and  thank  Him  for  the  favors  of  his  right 
hand  towards  Her,  and  for  the  gift  of  his  Onlybegotten 
Son  to  the  human  race  (John  3,  16).  The  same  petition 
She  made  on  the  anniversary  of  her  divine  parturition. 
On  these  days  the  heavenly  Lady  was  regaled  with  many 
graces  and  joys  by  the  Most  High;  because  He  renewed 
the  unbroken  remembrance  and  understanding  of  these 
exalted  sacraments.  As  She  had  received  intelligence 
how  much  the  eternal  Father  was  pleased  and  obliged  by 
this  outward  manifestation  of  sorrow  exhibited  in  her 
prostration  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and  by  her  mindful- 
ness of  the  crucifixion  of  the  Lamb  of  God,  She  prac- 
ticed this  devotion  on  all  the  festivals,  seeking  to  appease 
the  divine  justice  and  soliciting  mercy  for  the  sinners. 
Inflamed  with  charity,  She  rose  up  and  ended  her  cele- 
bration with  wonderful  hymns,  singing  them  alternately 
with  the  angels ;  they  formed  a  choir  of  celestial  harmony, 
the  holy  angels  intoning  their  songs,  and  the  blessed  Lady 
answering  them  on  her  part  in  hymns  more  sweet  to  the 
ears  of  God,  and  more  acceptable  than  those  of  the  most 
exalted  seraphim  and  all  the  heavenly  choirs.  For  these 
were  the  echoes  of  his  infinite  virtues  piercing  to  the  very 
throne  and  judgment  seat  of  the  eternal  God. 


THE   INCARNATION  589 

INSTRUCTION   GIVEN   BY  THE    MISTRESS    AND    QUEEN    OE 

HEAVEN. 

688.  My  daughter,  neither  thyself  nor  all  creatures 
together  can  ever  comprehend  the  spirit  of  poverty  of  my 
most  holy  Son,  and  what  He  has  taught  me  concerning 
it.  But  from  what  I  have  told  thee  thou  canst  under- 
stand much  of  the  excellence  of  this  virtue,  which  its 
Author  and  Teacher  loved  so  much,  and  of  the  horror 
in  which  He  holds  the  vice  of  covetousness.  The  Cre- 
ator cannot  hate  the  beings  which  He  has  created;  but 
He  knows  in  his  wisdom  the  boundless  damage  caused 
in  mortals'  by  avarice  and  covetousness  of  visible  things ; 
and  that  this  insane  love  would  pervert  the  greater  part  of 
the  human  nature.  His  horror  of  this  vice  was  in  pro- 
portion to  the  number  of  sinners  and  foredoomed  ones, 
who  are  lost  by  the  vice  of  avarice  and  cupidity. 

689.  In  order  to  meet  this  evil  and  provide  some 
remedy  against  it,  my  most  holy  Son  chose  poverty,  and 
taught  it  by  word  and  by  example  of  his  admirable  abne- 
gation. Thus  would  the  Physician  justify  his  cause  be- 
fore men  if  they,  for  whom  He  prepared  this  means  of 
safety  and  restoration,  would  neglect  to  take  advantage 
of  it.  This  same  doctrine  I  taught  and  practiced  during 
all  my  life,  and  upon  it  the  Apostles  founded  the  Church. 
Such  was  also  the  teaching  and  practice  of  the  Patriarchs 
and  Saints,  who  rejuvenated  and  confirmed  religion  in 
the  Church;  for  all  of  them  have  loved  poverty,  as  the 
only  and  most  eificacious  means  of  holiness.  They  have 
abhorred  riches  as  the  incentive  to'  evil  and  the  root  of 
all  vices  (I  Tim.  6,  10).  This  poverty  I  wish  thee  to 
love  and  seek  after  with  all  diligence ;  for  it  is  the  adorn- 
ment of  the  spouses  of  my  most  holy  Son,  without  which 
I  assure  thee,  my  dearest,  He  will  disavow  and  repudiate 


590  CITY   OF   GOD 

them  as  unworthy  and  far  removed  from  Him.  For  it 
is  preposterous  to  see  a  bride  overflowing  in  riches  and 
bedecked  with  jewels  at  the  side  of  a  poor  and  destitute 
bridegroom;  nor  can  true  love  exist  with  such  inequality. 
690.  It  is  clear  that  though  thou  wish  to  imitate  me 
as  a  legitimate  daughter,  I,  being  myself  poor,  shall  not 
recognize  thee  as  my  daughter  if  thou  art  not  one  in 
reality,  nor  shall  I  ever  permit  that  in  thee  which  I  ab- 
horred for  myself.  I  remind  thee  also  not  to  forget  the 
blessings  of  the  Most  High,  which  thou  hast  received  in 
such  abundance;  for  if  thou  art  not  very  attentive  and 
solicitous  in  this  duty,  thou  wilt  be  drawn  into  forgetful- 
ness  and  gross  rudeness  by  the  bluntness  and  sluggishness 
inherent  in  the  human  nature.  Renew  many  times  a  day 
the  memory  of  his  blessings,  always  giving  thanks  to  the 
Lord  with  humble  and  loving  affection.  Especially  mem- 
orable among  his  benefits  are  that  He  has  called  thee, 
waited  for  thee,  dissembled  and  excused  thy  faults,  and 
added  thereto  such  oft  repeated  favors.  This  remem- 
brance will  cause  in  thee  sweet  and  strong  movements  of 
love ;  and  thou  wilt  find  new  grace  and  favor  before  the 
Lord,  since  He  is  so  much  pleased  by  a  faithful  and 
thankful  heart.  On  the  other  hand.  He  is  much  offended 
if  his  kindnesses  and  blessings  are  not  esteemed  and 
appreciated ;  for,  as  He  confers  them  in  the  fullness  of 
his  love,  He  desires  a  dutiful,  loyal  and  loving  return  on 
the  part  of  his  creatures. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  MOST  HOLY  MOTHER  CLOTHES  THE  INFANT  JESUS 
IN  THE  SEAMLESS  TUNIC;  SHE  PUTS  SHOES  ON  HIS 
FEET.      THE  DOINGS  AND  OBSERVANCES  OF  THE  LORD. 

691,  In  order  to  clothe  the  divine  Infant  in  the  small 
tunic  and  put  on  his  feet  the  sandals  made  by  Her,  the 
most  prudent  Lady  cast  Herself  on  her  knees  before  her 
sweetest  Son  and  addressed  Him  in  the  following  words: 
"Most  high  Lord,  and  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth,  I 
would  wish  to  clothe  Thee,  if  possible,  in  such  a  way 
as  thy  Divinity  deserves,  and  I  would  gladly  have  made 
these  garments,  which  are  to  cover  Thee,  from  my  heart- 
blood;  but  I  know  that  the  poor  and  insignificant  cover- 
ings I  now  offer  Thee  are  according  to  thy  desires. 
Pardon  me,  my  Lord  and  Master,  my  faults  and  accept 
the  loving  affection  of  her,  who  is  but  dust  and  ashes : 
allow  me  to  clothe  Thee."  The  Infant  Jesus  was  pleased 
with  the  loving  service  of  his  purest  Mother ;  and  there- 
upon She  clothed  and  shod  Him,  setting  Him  upon  his 
feet.  The  tunic  fitted  Him  perfectly,  covering  his  feet 
without  hindering  them  in  walking,  and  the  sleeves  ex- 
tended to  the  middle  of  his  hands,  although  She  had  taken 
no  measure  beforehand.  The  collar  was  cut  out  round, 
without  being  open  in  front,  and  was  somewhat  raised 
around  the  neck  adjusting  itself  to  the  throat.  Through 
this  opening  the  heavenly  Mother  passed  it  over  the  head 
of  the  Infant;  for  the  garment  gracefully  adjusted  it- 
self according  to  her  wishes.  He  never  divested  Him- 
self of  this  tunic,  until  the  executioners  themselves  tore 

591 


592  CITY   OF   GOD 

it  off  to  scourge  and  afterwards  to  crucify  Him ;  for  this 
garment  continually  grew  with  Him,  adjusting  itself 
to  his  body.  The  same  happened  also  with  the  sandals 
and  with  the  undergarment,  which  the  solicitous  Mother 
made  for  Him,  None  of  all  these  articles  of  clothing 
wore  away  or  became  old  in  the  thirty-two  years,  nor 
did  the  tunic  lose  its  color  or  its  newness,  but  remained 
just  as  it  had  left  the  hands  of  the  great  Lady;  nor  did 
any  of  them  become  soiled  or  filthy,  but  they  preserved 
their  first  cleanliness.  The  garment  which  the  Redeemer 
of  the  world  laid  aside  in  order  to  wash  the  feet  of  his 
Apostles,  was  a  mantle  or  cape,  which  He  wore  over 
his  shoulders ;  and  this  also  had  been  made  by  the  Virgin 
after  they  had  returned  to  Nazareth.  Like  the  other 
clothing  it  grew  with  the  Lord,  was  of  the  same  color, 
only  a  little  darker  and  was  woven  in  the  same  way. 

692.  Thus  the  infant  Lord  of  the  eternities  was  placed 
on  his  feet,  after  having  since  his  birth  been  wrapped 
in  swaddling-clothes  and  held  for  most  of  the  time  in 
the  arms  of  his  most  holy  Mother  (John  13,  4).  He 
was  the  most  beautiful  among  the  sons  of  men.  The 
angels  were  astounded  at  the  humble  and  poor  raiment 
chosen  by  Him  who  clothes  the  heavens  in  light  and 
the  fields  with  beauty.  He  walked  freely  on  his  feet  in 
the  presence  of  his  parents;  but  before  strangers  this 
wonder  remained  for  a  time  concealed,  since  the  Queen 
took  Him  in  her  arms  when  outsiders  approached  or  when- 
ever they  went  abroad.  Indescribable  was  the  joy  of  the 
heavenly  Lady  and  of  saint  Joseph  as  they  saw  the  In- 
fant walking  about  and  exhibit  such  rare  beauty.  He 
received  nourishment  at  the  breast  of  his  purest  Mother 
until  He  was  a  year  and  a  half  old  and  no  longer.  His 
meals  thereupon  were  most  frugal  as  well  in  quantity 
as  in  quality.    At  first  they  consisted  in  broths  mixed  with 


THE   INCARNATION  593 

oil,  and  some  fruits  or  fishes.  While  He  was  still  in 
process  of  growth  She  gave  Him  to  eat  three  times  a 
day,  as  often  as  She  had  formerly  given  Him  her  milk; 
in  the  morning,  afternoon  and  at  night.  The  divine  Child 
never  asked  for  food ;  but  the  loving  Mother  with  thought- 
ful anxiety  provided  Him  his  meals  at  the  proper  time 
until  later  on,  when  He  was  already  grown  up  and  would 
not  consent  to  eat  oftener  or  at  other  hours  than  the 
heavenly  Spouses  themselves.  This  was  his  rule  until 
He  reached  adult  age,  of  which  I  will  speak  later  on. 
Whenever  He  took  his  meals  with  his  parents  they  al- 
ways waited  until  He  should  pronounce  the  blessing  at 
the  beginning  and  give  thanks  at  the  end. 

693.  From  the  time  the  Child  Jesus  was  on  his  feet 
He  commenced  to  retire  and  spent  certain  hours  of  the 
day  in  the  oratory  of  his  Mother.  As  the  most  prudent 
Mother  was  anxious  to  know  his  wishes  in  regard  to  her 
intercourse  with  Him,  the  Lord  responded  to  her  mute 
appeal,  saying:  "My  Mother,  enter  and  remain  with  Me 
always  in  order  that  thou  mayest  imitate  Me  in  my  works ; 
for  I  wish  that  in  thee  be  modeled  and  exhibited  the  high 
perfection  which  I  desire  to  see  accomplished  in  the  souls. 
For  if  they  had  not  resisted  my  first  intentions  (I  Tim. 
2,  4),  they  would  have  been  endowed  with  my  most 
abundant  and  copious  gifts;  but  since  the  human  race 
has  hindered  this,  I  have  chosen  thee  as  the  vessel  of  all 
perfection  and  of  the  treasures  of  my  right  hand,  which 
the  rest  of  the  creatures  have  abused  and  lost.  Observe 
me  therefore  in  all  my  actions  for  the  purpose  of  imitat- 
ing Me." 

694.  Thus  the  heavenly  Lady  was  installed  anew  as 
the  Disciple  of  her  most  holy  Son.  Thenceforward  passed 
such  great  and  hidden  mysteries  between  these  Two.  that 
not  until  the  day  of  eternity  will  they  be  known.     Many 


594  CITY   OF   GOD 

times  the  divine  Child  prostrated  Himself  on  the  ground, 
at  others  He  was  raised  from  the  ground  in  the  form 
of  a  cross,  earnestly  praying  to  the  eternal  Father  for 
the  salvation  of  mortals.  In  all  this  his  most  loving 
Mother  imitated  Him.  For  to  Her  were  manifest  the 
interior  operations  of  his  most  holy  soul,  just  as  well 
as  the  exterior  movements  of  his  body.  Of  this  knowl- 
edge of  most  pure  Mary  I  have  spoken  in  other  parts 
of  this  history  and  it  is  necessary  to  point  it  out  often, 
because  this  was  the  source  of  the  light  which  guided 
Her  in  her  holy  life.  It  was  such  a  singular  blessing, 
that  all  creatures  together  will  not  be  able  to  understand 
or  describe  it  by  their  united  powers.  The  great  Lady 
did  not  always  enjoy  visions  of  the  Divinity;  but  always 
the  sight  of  the  most  holy  humanity  and  soul  of  her  Son 
with  all  their  activities.  In  a  special  manner  She  was 
witness  of  the  effects  of  the  hypostatic  and  beatific  union 
of  the  humanity  with  the  Divinity.  Although  She  did 
not  always  see  this  glory  and  this  union  substantially; 
yet  She  perceived  the  interior  acts  by  which  his  humanity 
reverenced,  loved  and  magnified  the  Divinity  to  which 
it  was  united;  and  this  privilege  was  reserved  solely  to 
most  holy  Mary. 

695.  On  these  occasions  it  often  happened  that  the 
Child  Jesus  in  the  presence  of  his  most  holy  Mother 
wept  and  perspired  blood,  for  this  happened  many  times 
before  his  agony  in  the  garden.  Then  the  blessed  Lady 
would  wipe  his  face  interiorly  perceiving  and  knowing 
the  cause  of  this  agony,  namely  the  loss  of  the  fore- 
known and  of  those  who  would  be  ungrateful  for  the 
benefits  of  their  Creator  and  Redeemer  and  in  whom  the 
works  of  the  infinite  power  and  goodness  of  the  Lord 
would  be  wasted.  At  other  times  the  blessed  Mother 
would  find  Him  refulgent  with  heavenly  light  and  sur- 


THE    INCARNATION  595 

rounded  by  angels  that  sang  sweet  hymns  of  praise; 
and  She  was  made  aware,  that  the  heavenly  Father  was 
pleased  in  his  beloved  and  onlybegotten  Son  (Matth. 
17,  5).  All  these  wonders  commenced  from  the  time 
when  at  the  age  of  one  year  He  began  to  walk,  wit- 
nessed only  by  his  most  holy  Mother,  whose  heart  was 
to  be  the  treasure-house  of  his  wonders.  The  works  of 
love,  praise  and  worshipful  gratitude,  his  petitions  for 
the  human  race,  all  exceed  my  ability  to  describe.  I  must 
refer  the  understanding  of  it  to  the  faith  and  piety  of  the 
Christians. 

696.  The  Child  Jesus  grew  in  the  admiration  and  es- 
teem of  all  that  came  to  know  Him.  Having  reached 
the  age  of  six  years  He  began  now  and  then  to  visit  the 
sick  in  the  hospitals,  seeking  out  the  stricken  ones  and 
mysteriously  comforting  and  consoling  them  in  their 
afflictions.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Heliopolis  began 
to  know  Him;  the  secret  attractions  of  his  Divinity  and 
sanctity  drew  toward  Him  the  hearts  of  all,  and  many 
offered  Him  gifts.  These,  according  to  the  promptings 
of  his  interior  knowledge.  He  refused  or  accepted  for 
distribution  among  the  poor.  The  admiration  caused  by 
his  wise  counsels  and  his  modest  and  considerate  be- 
havior, caused  many  to  extol  and  congratulate  the  parents 
on  such  a  Son.  Although  all  of  them  were  ignorant  of 
the  mysteries  and  of  the  dignity  of  the  Son  and  the 
Mother ;  yet  the  Lord  of  creation,  being  desirous  of  honor- 
ing his  Mother,  permitted  them  to  reverence  Her  as  far* 
as  was  possible  under  the  circumstances,  without  their 
learning  the  special  reason  for  doing  so, 

697.  Many  of  the  children  of  Heliopolis  gathered 
around  the  Child  Jesus,  as  it  is  natural  with  children  of 
similar  age  and  condition.  Since  they  were  free  from 
great  malice  and  were  not  given  to  inquire,  whether  He 


596  CITY    OF    GOD 

was  more  than  man,  but  freely  admitted  the  heavenly 
light,  the  Master  of  truth  welcomed  them  as  far  as 
was  befitting.  He  instilled  into  them  the  knowledge  of 
God  and  of  the  virtues;  He  taught  and  catechised  them 
in  the  way  of  eternal  life,  even  more  abundantly  than  the 
adults.  As  his  words  were  full  of  life  and  strength,  He 
won  their  hearts  and  impressed  his  truths  so  deeply  upon 
them,  that  all  those,  who  had  this  good  fortune,  after- 
wards became  great  and  saintly  men ;  for  in  the  course  of 
time  they  ripened  in  themselves  the  fruit  of  this  heavenly 
seed  sown  so  early  into  their  souls. 

698.  The  blessed  Mother  was  well-informed  of  all 
these  happenings.  Whenever  her  most  holy  Son  re- 
turned from  these  errands,  in  which  He  had  fulfilled  the 
will  of  his  eternal  Father  by  looking  after  his  flock,  the 
Queen  and  the  angels  prostrated  themselves  before  her 
divine  Son  and  gave  Him  thanks  for  the  benefits  done  to 
those  innocents,  who  did  not  yet  know  Him  for  their  true 
God,  and  She  kissed  his  feet  as  those  of  the  High- 
priest  of  heaven  and  earth  (Heb.  4,  1).  This  She  also 
did  whenever  the  Child  was  about  to  go  forth;  on  such 
occasions  He  would  raise  Her  up  from  the  earth  in  filial 
reverence  and  love.  The  Mother  also  asked  for  his  bless- 
ing upon  all  her  undertakings;  and  She  never  lost  an 
occasion  for  practicing  virtue  with  all  the  intensity  of 
her  love  and  divine  grace.  Never  was  any  grace  in  Her 
without  its  fruit,  but  it  operated  in  all  its  plenitude  and 
increased  in  operation.  The  great  Lady  sought  new 
means  and  ways  of  humiliating  Herself,  adoring  the  in- 
carnate Word  by  her  genuflections  and  prostrations  and 
other  most  loving  and  profound  ceremonies  as  outward 
tokens  of  her  prudence  and  holiness.  This  She  attended 
to  with  such  wisdom,  that  She  excited  the  admiration  of 


THE   INCARNATION  597 

the  angels  themselves,  who,  interchanging'  among  them- 
selves the  praises  of  the  Divinity,  said  to  each  other: 
"Who  is  that  pure  Creature,  so  full  of  delight  to  our 
Creator  and  her  Son?  (Cant.  1,  2).  Who  is  this  One, 
that  so  wisely  and  attentively  honors  and  reverences  the 
Most  High,  far  exceeding  us  all  in  her  loving  alertness 
and  attention?" 

699.  In  his  intercourse  and  conversation  with  his 
parents,  this  most  wonderful  and  beautiful  Child,  after 
He  had  begun  to  walk  and  grow  larger,  showed  more 
gravity  than  when  He  was  younger.  The  tender  caresses, 
which  always  had  been  tempered  and  measured,  were  now 
withheld,  for  in  his  countenance  shone  forth  such  majesty 
as  a  reflection  of  his  hidden  Deity,  that,  if  He  had  not 
mixed  it  with  a  certain  sweetness  and  affability,  reveren" 
tial  fear  would  have  prevented  all  intercourse  with  Him, 
The  heavenly  Mother  and  saint  Joseph  felt  the  effects 
of  a  divine  power  and  efficacy,  as  well  as  the  kindness  and 
devotedness  of  a  loving  Father,  proceeding  from  his 
countenance.  Joined  with  this  majesty  and  magnificence 
was  his  filial  affection  toward  his  heavenly  Mother,  while 
on  the  other  hand  He  treated  saint  Joseph  as  one,  who 
had  as  well  the  name  as  the  duties  of  a  father  toward 
Him;  and  therefore  He  obeyed  them  both  as  a  most  de- 
voted Son  obeys  his  parents.  In  his  whole  behavior 
the  incarnate  Word  practiced  the  virtues  of  obedience, 
humility  and  human  kindness  with  such  an  admirable 
mixture  of  majesty  and  gravity,  that  his  divine  wisdom 
shone  forth  in  all  his  actions  and  that  none  of  his 
grandeur  was  impaired  by  triviality  or  smallness.  The 
heavenly  Queen  was  most  attentive  to  all  these  mys- 
teries and  She  alone,  as  far  as  a  mere  creature  could, 
comprehended  befittingly  the  work  of  her  most  holy 
Son  and  understood  the  ways  of  his  infinite  wisdom.  I 

?9 


598  CITY   OF   GOD 

would  attempt  the  impossible  to  try  to  describe  in  human 
words  the  effects  of  all  his  doings  on  her  most  pure  and 
prudent  soul,  or  how  closely  She  imitated  his  ineffable 
sanctity.  The  souls  which  were  converted  and  saved  in 
Heliopolis  and  in  all  Egypt,  the  sick  that  were  cured, 
and  the  wonders  wrought  during  their  seven  years'  stay 
in  that  country,  cannot  be  enumerated :  such  a  blessed 
crime  did  the  cruelty  of  Herod  turn  out  to  be  for  Egypt. 
The  goodness  and  wisdom  of  God  draws  from  the  very 
wickedness  and  evils  of  sin  the  greatest  good.  If  in  one 
direction  men  cast  away  his  mercies  and  shut  them  out. 
He  calls  upon  them  in  other  directions  to  open  their  hearts 
and  admit  his  blessings  (Job  34,  24).  His  ardent  desires 
to  benefit  the  human  race  cannot  be  quenched  by  the  floods 
of  our  sins  and  ingratitudes. 

INSTRUCTION   GIVEN   TO   ME  BY  THE  QUEEN  OE   HEAVEN, 
MOST  HOLY  MARY. 

700.  My  daughter,  from  the  very  beginning  of  this 
history  of  my  life  thou  wast  made  to  understand,  that 
among  other  purposes,  the  Lord  wished  to  call  the  at- 
tention of  mortals  to  the  debt  contracted  by  their  un- 
feeling forgetfulness  of  his  divine  love  and  of  mine  to- 
ward them.  It  is  true  that  all  his  love  is  included  and 
made  manifest  in  his  having  died  on  the  Cross  for  them, 
for  this  was  the  extremity  of  his  immense  charity  (John 
3,  16).  But  many  ungrateful  men  are  loath  to  rem.em- 
ber  even  this  blessing.  For  such  and  for  all  others  the 
knowledge  of  what  He  did  for  them  during  the  thirty- 
three  years  should  be  a  new  incentive  and  spur  of  love; 
since  each  of  his  acts  was  worth  an  infinite  price  and 
merited  our  eternal  gratitude.  The  Almighty  set  me  as 
a  witness  to  all  of  them:  and  I  assure  thee,  that  from 


THE   INCARNATION  599 

the  first  instant  of  his  conception  in  my  womb,  He  ceased 
not  to  clamor  to  the  Father  for  the  salvation  of  men. 
From  that  moment  He  began  to  embrace  the  Cross  (Heb. 
10,  5),  not  only  in  desire,  but  also  as  far  as  was  pos- 
sible in  effect,  placing  Himself  in  the  position  of  one 
crucified  from  his  infancy  and  continuing  these  exercises 
during  his  whole  life.  I  also  imitated  Him  in  this,  join- 
ing Him  in  his  prayers  and  labors  for  mankind  and  in  the 
very  first  acts  of  his  most  sacred  humanity  by  which  He 
rendered  thanks  for  the  salvation  of  men. 

701.  Let  therefore  mortals  beware,  lest  I,  who  was  a 
Witness  and  Co-operatrix  of  this  salvation,  be  not  also  a 
Witness  and  Co-operatrix  in  the  day  of  judgment,  pro- 
claiming how  well  justified  is  the  cause  of  God  with  men. 
If  on  that  day  I  most  justly  refuse  my  intercession  to 
those,  who  have  foolishly  despised  and  forgotten  so  many 
and  so  great  favors  and  blessings,  the  results  of  the  divine 
love  of  my  Son  and  my  own :  what  answer,  what  excuse 
or  evasion  shall  those  then  bring  forward,  who  have  been 
so  well  informed,  so  much  admonished  and  enlightened 
by  the  truth?  How  can  these  ungrateful  and  pertina- 
cious mortals  expect  mercy  of  the  most  just  and  righteous 
God,  when  He  has  given  them  sufficient  and  opportune 
time,  invited  them  so  often,  called  them,  waited  and 
worked  for  them,  and  conferred  upon  them  immense 
blessings,  while  they  abused  and  wasted  all  of  them  in 
the  pursuit  of  vanity  ?  Fear,  my  daughter,  this,  the  great- 
est of  all  blindnesses.  Refresh  ever  the  memory  of  the 
most  holy  works  of  my  Son  and  of  me,  and  imitate  them 
with  all  thy  fervor.  Continue  the  exercises  of  the  cross 
under  the  guidance  of  obedience,  in  order  to  keep  thy- 
self mindful  of  what  thou  must  imitate  and  give  thanks 
for.  Take  notice  at  the  same  time,  that  my  Son  and 
Lord  could  have  redeemed  the  human  race  without  suf- 


600  CITY   OF   GOD 

fering  so  much  and  that  He  wished  to  increase  his  suf- 
ferings only  on  account  of  the  immensity  of  his  love 
for  souls.  The  return  for  such  condescension  should  be, 
that  the  creature  content  not  itself  with  little,  as  is  or- 
dinarily the  case  with  ignorant  men.  Add  thou  virtue  to 
virtue  and  seek  thereby  evermore  to  meet  all  thy  obliga- 
tions, imitating  the  Lord  and  me  in  our  labors  for  the 
salvation  of  the  world.  All  thy  merits  offer  up  for 
souls,  uniting  them  with  his  merits  in  the  presence  of 
the  eternal  Father. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

JESUS,  MARY  AND  JOSEPH  RETURN  TO  NAZARETH  AT  THE 
COMMAND  OF  THE  LORD. 

702.  The  Child  Jesus  reached  the  end  of  his  seventh 
year  while  in  Egypt,  which  was  also  the  term  set  by  the 
eternal  Wisdom  for  his  mysterious  sojourn  in  that  land. 
In  order  that  the  prophecies  might  be  fulfilled,  it  was 
necessary  that  He  return  to  Nazareth,  This  decree  the 
eternal  Father  intimated  to  his  most  holy  Son  on  a  cer- 
tain day  in  the  presence  of  his  holy  Mother  and  while 
She  was  with  Him  in  prayer.  She  saw  it  mirrored  in 
his  deified  soul  and  She  saw  how  He  submitted  to  it  in 
obedience  to  the  Father.  Therein  the  great  Lady  joined 
Him,  although  they  had  already  become  better  acquainted 
and  habituated  to  their  present  abode  than  to  their  own 
native  city  of  Nazareth,  Neither  the  Mother  nor  the 
Son  made  known  to  saint  Joseph  this  new  decree  of 
heaven.  But  in  that  very  night  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
spoke  to  him  in  his  sleep,  as  Matthew  relates  (Matth. 
2,  19),  and  bade  him  take  the  Child  and  its  Mother 
and  return  to  the  land  of  Israel;  for  Herod  and  those 
who  with  him  had  sought  the  life  of  the  Child,  were 
dead.  So  much  value  does  the  Almighty  set  on  the 
proper  order  in  created  things,  that,  though  Jesus  was 
the  true  God  and  his  Mother  so  highly  exalted  above  saint 
Joseph  in  sanctity.  He  did  not  permit  the  arrangements 
of  this  journey  to  proceed  from  his  Son  nor  from  his 
Mother,  but  from  saint  Joseph,  who  was  the  head  of  this 
Family.  God  intended  to  teach  all  mortals,  that  He  wishes 

601 


602  CITY   OF   GOD 

all  things  to  be  governed  by  the  natural  order  set  up  by 
his  Providence;  and  that  the  inferiors  and  subjects  of 
the  mystical  body  of  the  Church,  even  though  they  may 
excel  in  virtue  and  in  certain  other  respects,  must  obey 
and  submit  to  their  superiors  and  prelates  in  the  visible 
order. 

703.  Saint  Joseph  immediately  notified  the  Child  Jesus 
and  his  Mother  of  the  command  of  the  Lord;  and  both 
of  them  answered,  that  the  will  of  the  heavenly  Father 
must  be  done.  Thereupon  they  resolved  upon  their 
journey  without  delay,  immediately  distributing  among 
the  poor  the  little  furniture  contained  in  their  dwelling. 
This  was  done  by  the  hands  of  the  divine  Child;  for  the 
heavenly  Mother  often  consigned  into  his  hands  what 
She  had  destined  as  alms  to  the  poor,  knowing  that  the 
Child,  as  the  God  of  mercy,  loved  to  exercise  it  with  his 
own  hands  (Matth.  25,  40).  When  She  gave  Him  these 
alms  the  most  holy  Mother  falling  on  her  knees,  said: 
"Take,  my  Son  and  Lord,  whatever  Thou  desirest,  in 
order  to  share  it  with  the  poor,  our  friends  and  brothers." 
The  blessed  dwelling,  which  had  been  sanctified  and  con- 
secrated for  seven  years  by  the  presence  of  the  High- 
priest  Jesus,  was  left  in  the  possession  of  certain  of  the 
most  devout  and  pious  persons  in  Heliopolis.  Their  vir- 
tue and  holiness  had  gained  them  a  favor  which  they 
could  not  now  fully  estimate;  although,  on  account  of 
what  they  had  seen  and  experienced,  they  counted  them- 
selves indeed  fortunate  to  occupy  the  same  house,  in  which 
these  Strangers  had  lived  for  seven  years.  This  affec- 
tionate devotion  was  rewarded  by  abundant  light  and 
grace  for  their  eternal  salvation. 

704.  They  departed  for  Palestine  in  the  company  of 
angels  as  on  their  way  thence.  The  great  Queen  sat  on 
the  ass  with  the  divine  Child    on    her   lap    and    saint 


THE   INCARNATION  603 

Joseph  walked  afoot,  closely  following  the  Son  and 
Mother.  On  account  of  the  loss  of  such  great  Benefactors 
their  acquaintances  and  friends  were  very  sorrowful  at 
the  news  of  their  departure ;  with  incredible  weeping  and 
sighing  they  saw  Them  leave,  knowing  and  loudly  com- 
plaining, that  they  were  now  losing  all  their  consolation 
and  refuge  in  their  necessities.  If  the  divine  power  had 
not  interfered,  the  holy  Family  would  have  found  great 
difficulty  in  leaving  Heliopolis ;  for  its  inhabitants  began 
to  feel  the  night  of  their  miseries  secretly  setting  upon 
their  hearts  at  the  parting  of  the  Sun,  which  had  dis- 
persed and  brightened  its  darkness  (John  1,  9).  In 
traversing  the  inhabited  country  they  passed  through 
some  towns  of  Egypt,  where  They  scattered  their  graces 
and  blessings.  The  news  of  their  passage  spreading 
about,  all  the  sick,  the  afflicted  and  disconsolate  gathered 
to  seek  Them  out,  and  they  found  themselves  relieved  in 
body  and  soul.  Many  of  the  sick  were  cured,  many  de- 
mons were  expelled  without  their  knowing  who  it  was 
that  thus  hurled  them  back  to  hell.  Yet  they  felt  the 
divine  power,  which  compelled  them  and  wrought  such 
blessings  among  men. 

705.  I  will  not  tarry  to  relate  the  particular  events  of 
this  journey  of  the  Child  Jesus  and  his  most  blessed 
Mother  out  of  Egypt;  for  it  is  not  necessary,  nor  could 
it  be  done  without  extending  this  history  too  much.  It 
will  suffice  to  say  that  all  who  came  to  Them  with  greater 
or  less  devotion,  left  their  presence  enlightened  with 
truth,  assisted  by  grace  and  wounded  with  the  love  of 
God.  They  felt  a  secret  force,  which  urged  and  com- 
pelled them  to  the  pursuit  of  virtue  and,  while  withdraw- 
ing them  from  the  paths  of  death,  showed  them  the  way 
of  eternal  life.  They  came  to  the  Son,  drawn  to  Him 
by  the  Father,  and  they  turned  to  the  Father,  sent  there 


604  CITY    OF    GOD 

by  the  divine  light  of  Christ's  truth,  which  enkindled  their 
souls  with  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  (John  6,  44). 
Nevertheless  He  concealed  Himself,  since  it  was  not  yet 
time  to  reveal  Himself  openly.  But  the  fire,  which  He 
had  come  to  enkindle  and  spread  in  this  world,  secretly 
and  incessantly  produced  its  divine  effects  among  men. 
706.  Having  thus  fulfilled  the  mysteries  decreed  by  the 
divine  will  and  issuing  from  the  inhabited  regions  of  this 
country,  which  They  had  signalized  by  their  miracles, 
our  heavenly  Pilgrims  entered  the  desert  through  which 
They  had  come.  In  it  They  again  suffered  labors  and 
difficulties  similar  to  those  of  their  flight  from  Palestine ; 
for  the  Lord  continued  to  permit  hardships  and  tribula- 
tion in  order  to  afford  Them  occasion  of  merit  and  pro- 
vide a  proper  relief.  He  administered  to  these  neces- 
sities by  the  hands  of  the  angels  as  in  the  first  journey, 
or  sometimes  the  Child  Jesus  himself  <:ommanded  them 
to  provide  sustenance.  Very  often  saint  Joseph,  in  order 
that  he  might  become  more  sensible  of  the  divine  favor, 
was  permitted  to  hear  these  commands  and  saw  how 
these  spirits  obeyed  and  readily  procured  what  was 
wanted.  This  greatly  encouraged  and  consoled  the  holy 
Patriarch  in  his  sorrow  and  anxiety  for  the  King  and 
Queen  of  heaven.  At  other  times  the  divine  Child  made 
use  of  his  Omnipotence  and  created  all  that  was  necessary 
to  supply  their  wants  out  of  a  crumb  of  bread.  The 
rest  of  the  journey  was  similar  to  the  journey  described 
before  in  chapter  the  twenty-second;  therefore  I  do  not 
think  it  necessary  to  repeat  the  description.  When,  how- 
ever. They  arrived  at  the  confines  of  Palestine  the  anxious 
husband  was  informed,  that  Archelaus  had  succeeded 
Herod  his  father  in  the  government  of  Judea  (Matth. 
2,  22).  Fearing  that  with  the  sovereignty  he  had  in- 
herited also  his  cruelty,  saint  Joseph  turned  from  his 


THE    INCARNATION  605 

route  without  going-  to  Jerusalem  or  entering  Judea  and 
passed  through  the  land  of  the  tribe  of  Dan  and  Issachar 
below  Galilee,  following  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean 
sea  and  passing  Jerusalem  to  his  right. 

707.  They  reached  Nazareth,  their  home,  for  the  Child 
was  to  be  called  a  Nazarene.  They  found  their  former 
humble  house  in  charge  of  the  devout  cousin  of  saint 
Joseph,  who,  as  I  have  mentioned  in  the  twelfth  chapter 
of  the  third  book,  had  offered  to  serve  him  while  our 
Queen  was  absent  in  the  house  of  Elisabeth.  Before 
They  had  left  Judea  for  Egypt,  saint  Joseph  had  written 
to  this  woman,  asking  her  to  take  care  of  the  house  and 
what  it  contained.  They  found  it  all  in  good  condition 
and  his  cousin  received  Them  with  great  joy  on  account 
of  her  love  for  the  great  Queen,  though  at  the  same  time 
she  did  not  know  of  her  dignity.  The  heavenly  Lady 
entered  with  her  Son  and  saint  Joseph,  and  immediately 
She  prostrated  Herself  in  adoration  of  the  Lord  and  in 
thanksgiving  for  having  led  Them,  safe  from  the  cruelty 
of  Herod,  to  this  retreat,  and  preserved  Them  in  the 
dangers  of  their  banishment  and  their  long  and  arduous 
journeys.  Above  all  did  She  render  thanks  for  having 
returned  in  company  with  her  Son,  now  grown  both  in 
years  and  in  grace  and  virtue  (Luke  2,  40). 

708.  Taking  counsel  with  her  divine  Child  She  pro- 
ceeded to  set  up  a  rule  of  life  and  regnlate  her  pious 
practices;  not  that  She  had  failed  to  observe  a  rule  of 
life  on  her  journey;  for  the  most  prudent  Lady,  in  imita- 
tion of  her  Son,  had  always  observed  the  most  perfect 
order  according  to  circumstances.  But  being  now  peace- 
fully settled  in  her  home  She  wished  to  include  many 
exercises,  which  on  the  journey  were  impossible.  Her 
greatest  solicitude  was  always  to  co-operate  with  her  most 
holy  Son  for  the  salvation  of  souls  which  was  the  work 


606  CITY   OF   GOD 

most  urgently  enjoined  upon  Her  by  the  eternal  Father. 
Toward  this  most  high  end  our  Queen  directed  all  her 
practices  in  union  with  the  Redeemer,  and  this  was  their 
constant  occupation,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  course  of  this 
second  part.  The  holy  Joseph  also  ordered  his  occupa- 
tions and  his  work  so  as  most  worthily  to  earn  sus- 
tenance for  the  divine  Child  and  his  Mother  as  well  as 
for  himself.  That  which  in  other  sons  of  Adam  is  con- 
sidered a  punishment  and  a  hardship  was  to  this  holy 
Patriarch  a  great  happiness.  For  while  others  were  con- 
demned to  sustain  their  natural  life  by  the  labor  of  their 
hands  in  the  sweat  of  their  brows,  saint  Joseph  was 
blessed  and  consoled  beyond  measure  to  know,  that  he 
had  been  chosen  by  his  labor  and  sweat  to  support  God 
himself  and  his  Mother,  to  whom  belonged  heaven  and 
earth  and  all  that  they  contain  (Esther  13,  10). 

709.  The  Queen  of  the  angels  herself  undertook  to  pay 
the  debt  of  gratitude  due  to  saint  Joseph  for  his  labors 
and  solicitude.  Accordingly  She  provided  his  meals  and 
attended  to  his  comforts  with  incredible  care  and  most 
loving  gratitude.  She  was  obedient  to  him  in  all  things 
and  humbled  Herself  before  him  as  if  She  were  his 
handmaid  and  not  his  spouse,  or,  what  is  more,  not  the 
Mother  of  the  Creator  and  Lord  of  all.  She  accounted 
Herself  unworthy  of  existence  and  of  being  suffered  to 
walk  upon  the  earth;  for  She  thought  it  just,  that  She 
should  be  in  want  of  all  things.  In  the  consciousness 
of  having  been  created  out  of  nothing  and  therefore  un- 
able to  make  any  return  for  either  this  benefit  or,  accord- 
ing to  her  estimation,  for  any  of  the  others,  She  estab- 
lished in  Herself  such  a  rare  humility,  that  She  thought 
Herself  less  than  the  dust  and  unworthy  to  mingle  with 
it.  For  the  least  favor  She  gave  admirable  thanks  to  the 
Lord,  as  to  the  first  cause  and  origin  of  them  all,  and  to 


THE   INCARNATION  607 

creatures  as  to  the  instruments  of  his  bounty.  To  some 
She  gave  thanks  because  they  conferred  favors  upon 
Her,  to  others  because  they  had  denied  them;  and  to 
others  again  because  they  bore  with  Her  in  patience. 
She  acknowledged  Herself  as  indebted  to  all  of  them, 
though  She  filled  them  with  the  blessings  of  sweetness 
and  placed  Herself  at  the  feet  of  all,  seeking  ingenious 
means  and  artifices  to  let  no  instant  and  no  occasion  pass 
for  practicing  the  most  perfect  and  exalted  virtues  to  the 
admiration  of  the  angels  and  the  pleasure  and  the  delight 
of  the  Most  High. 

INSTRUCTION   WHICH  THE  QUEEN  OE   HEAVEN   GAVE  ME. 

710.  My  daughter,  while  journeying  at  the  command 
of  the  Lord  from  one  country  to  another  and  during  the 
works  enjoined  upon  me,  my  heart  was  never  troubled 
nor  my  spirit  cast  down;  for  I  always  held  myself  pre- 
pared to  fulfill  entirely  the  will  of  God.  Although  the 
Lord  made  known  to  Me  his  high  ends,  yet  this  was  not 
always  done  at  the  beginning,  thus  permitting  me  to  en- 
dure so  much  the  greater  sufferings;  for  in  obeying  the 
Lord  no  further  reason  is  necessary  than  that  the  Lord 
Creator  so  commands  and  disposes.  The  souls  must 
accustom  themselves  to  look  for  this  motive  alone  and  to 
learn  solely  to  please  the  Lord,  without  distinguishing 
between  fortunate  or  unfortunate  events  and  without  look- 
ing to  their  own  inclinations.  In  this  kind  of  wisdom  I 
wish  that  thou  advance.  In  imitation  of  me  and  to  satisfy 
thy  obligations  toward  my  most  holy  Son,  do  thou  re- 
ceive prosperity  or  adversity  in  this  mortal  life  with 
unmoved  countenance  and  with  equanimity  and  peace  of 
mind.     Let  not  the  one  grieve,  nor  the  other  vainly  re- 


608  CITY   OF   GOD 

joice  thee;  but  attend  only  to  all  that  which  the  Almighty 
ordains  according  to  his  pleasure. 

711.  Human  life  is  interwoven  thus  variously  with 
both  kinds  of  events ;  some  of  them  according,  others  con- 
trary to  the  likings  of  mortals;  some  which  they  abhor, 
others  which  they  desire.  As  the  human  heart  is  limited 
and  narrow  it  immoderately  inclines  to  extremes,  bound- 
lessly desiring  what  it  loves  and  likes,  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  grieving  and  sorrowing  at  what  it  abhors  and  dis- 
likes. These  changeful  moods  and  fluctuations  create 
danger  for  all  or  many  virtues.  The  disorderly  love  for 
one  creature  which  it  cannot  attain,  moves  the  soul  pres- 
ently to  desire  another,  expecting  a  balm  for  its  dis- 
appointment in  the  former.  And  if  it  is  successful,  the 
soul  becomes  involved  and  flurried  in  the  desire  of  re- 
taining what  it  possesses,  thus  casting  itself  by  these 
velleities  into  still  greater  disorders  and  passions.  Attend, 
therefore,  dearest,  to  this  danger  and  attack  it  at  the  root 
by  preserving  thy  heart  independent  and  riveted  only  on 
the  divine  Providence,  without  ever  allowing  it  to  incline 
toward  what  it  desires  or  longs  for,  or  to  abhor  what 
is  painful  to  it.  Let  the  will  of  the  Lord  be  thy  only 
delight  and  joy.  Let  neither  thy  desires  draw  thee  on, 
nor  thy  fears  dishearten  thee.  Let  not  thy  exterior  occu- 
pations, and  much  less  thy  regard  or  attention  to  crea- 
tures, ever  impede  thee  or  divert  thee  from  thy  holy 
exercises,  attending  always  to  my  example.  Seek  thou 
lovingly  and  diligently  to  follow  in  my  footsteps. 


CITY  OF  GOD 

COMPLETE  EDITION 

Conception^  610  pages 

Incamation^608  pages 

Transfixion,  790  pages 

Coronation,  668  pages 

ABRIDGMENTS 

City  of  God,  one  volume  popular  edi- 
tion, cloth,  794  pages 

City  of  God,  short  abridgment,  cloth, 
about    320    pages      

Words  of  Wisdom  from  City  of  God, 
cloth,  gold  top,  about  575  pages    .    . 

Theotokia,  693  pages  (25,600  verses)  . 


Address : 
LOUIS  W.  BERNICKEN 

Mount  Vernon,   Ohio 


*  University  of  CaUfornia 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBR^Y  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

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